Dying Roses
by Skylark Starflower
Summary: Even though Quote has returned, with his new curse and the severe depletion of Curly's force, things are looking bleak. M now for mature content. Mwee hee hee...
1. Prologue

Author's Note/Disclaimer: I don't own Cave Story; Studio Pixel created it and as such, he is worthy of our praise. Tee hee.

And so begins my Cave Story epic… MWA HAA HAA HAAA!

**Prologue**

The sky dragon rose, swift and silent into the night sky, two passengers sitting steadily upon its back. Kazuma didn't look back, though tears stung his eyes at the thought of abandoning his friends and family. He didn't want to go, but what choice did he really have?

The little scout robot sitting behind Kazuma couldn't help but watch the island recede behind them. It was the only place he could remember since he had first reactivated, and though he knew with one hundred percent certainty there was nothing more he could do to help, he felt terrible about slipping away in such a cowardly manner. But after going through all he had to save his friend and fellow robot warrior Curly Brace, only to have her swept away… He couldn't fight anymore. Not without her.

Neither Kazuma nor the little robot knew where they were going, the only thing they were sure of was that they needed to put as much distance between themselves and the island as they could. Kazuma urged the dragon on, and together the three companions soared away into the inky black sky.

X X X

A large, boxy figure separated itself from the shadows of the outer wall, tromping forward in hopes of catching one last glance at the retreating form of the sky dragon and its passengers before they disappeared.

Balrog sighed, mixed emotions warring inside him as the darkness swallowed his quarry. Though he would never admit it to Misery or the Doctor, he had found himself growing rather fond of the little robot and was glad he would no longer be forced to fight him. But at the same time, he had been his and Misery's best chance at freedom to show up in decades. Without him, they were doomed to continued servitude, bound by the curse of the Demon Crown.

He continued to stare out at the dark sky for several minutes, hoping against hope that perhaps Kazuma or the scout robot would change their minds and return, but the sky remained empty. Balrog waved his stubby arms, wishing he could fly out after them and retrieve them, though he knew that to be impossible. The curse prevented him from flying too far away, and smashing upon the ground after a long fall was not on his list of things to do in life.

Finally, Balrog turned away from the edge, convinced that he would never see the robot or the Sakamoto boy again. If he didn't report in soon, Misery would probably do something horrible to him again. With this thought in mind, he disappeared back into the inner tunnels of the island.


	2. One Story’s End, Another’s Beginning

Author's Note/Disclaimer: I don't own it; I worship Studio Pixel for it. Yadda, yadda, yadda. Tee hee.

And so I give unto you, chapter one! Took me long enough, didn't it? And trust me, this chapter may seem a little slow, but it'll get better come further installments. I promise! Anywho, read on?

"**Faded Roses"  
****By Skylark Starflower  
****Started April 24th, 2006**

Chapter One- One Story's End, Another's Beginning

She was sure nothing was wrong, yet nothing was right. Something seemed to be missing; yet as far as she could tell, nothing was amiss.

A figure stood beside her, hidden within the folds of a strange green costume. She squinted up at him, wondering who or what he was.

"So, you're awake."

"Who are you?" she asked.

"No one you know," came the gruff reply. "Now, answer a question of mine. Who are you?"

She blinked as something clicked into place in her mind. The stranger's question snapped everything into sharp relief. Who WAS she?

"I…don't remember."

The figure chuckled, a deep rumbling laugh that frightened her, though she didn't know why. "I thought so."

Ignoring him for the moment, she focused on studying her surroundings, only to discover that she was in a large hole dug into the ground, inhabited only by herself and the strange creature next to her. She couldn't recall how she'd gotten there, nor where there actually was.

She felt there was something important she needed to be doing, but she could not remember what it was. But before she could do anything about it, she felt she needed to know more about her situation.

"Um…" she started, not really sure how to talk to her enigmatic companion.

A set of piercing yellow eyes turned to stare down at her from the depths of the green robes. "Yes?"

"You… don't know me, do you?"

"No. You're a solider sent from the surface. That's all I know about you." His response was curt and to the point. It almost seemed as if he didn't want to have anything to do with her. But if that were the case, she thought, then why had he apparently saved her?

"If you don't like me, then why are you helping me?" she snapped.

He laughed again, causing her to draw back. "Who said I was helping YOU?"

She fell silent. He intimidated her, but she couldn't help feeling that he didn't intend to hurt her. If that were the case, he would have done something already.

She stood and had to throw out her arms to catch herself as her legs gave out. What had happened to her, she wondered as she regained her balance. Her companion just laughed again, and she shot him a look. He fell silent, though his eyes continued to gleam.

"Is there something I can call you?" she asked, attempting to move the focus off her instability.

"Cthulhu."

"Really?" She studied him more closely as she tested her other limbs, finding them all in working order. "You don't look much like a demon."

Cthulhu didn't reply, though she could practically sense his grin.

"Look, I'd love to stay here and enjoy the company," she said, her tone subtle but the sarcasm apparent, "but I have something I need to do, and I have to go find a way to remember what that was."

"Head to the mimiga graveyard."

She turned back to face Cthulhu, halfway to the exit leading out into the main cave. "What was that?"

He didn't reply, acting as though he hadn't even heard the question. She waited several seconds to see if he would say something else, but when nothing came, she turned away and climbed up, out of the hole and into the plantation.

The plantation was huge, and she could only see a portion of it. There was no one to be seen where she stood, but she could hear the sounds of people working in the distance. Climbing up to the next level of the cave, she found field upon field of mimigas growing red flowers.

She stared at the scene, trying to remember why the mimigas would be doing such a thing. Her memory was fragmented, corrupted, and she could recall nothing. As much as she felt she should do something about it, she knew she needed to restore her memory first and foremost.

Accessing her remaining memories of the island's caves, she mapped out the best and quickest route to the mimiga village. Turning away from the disquieting scene, she headed for the outer wall.

She found a door leading to a small storage room she knew led to the outside and headed through it. She hadn't been expecting to run into anyone on the way, so she was taken by surprise by the sudden shriek. Instinctively, she jumped back and went into a fighting stance, reaching for a weapon that wasn't there.

"Don't kill me! I'm human!" wailed the quaking ball of fluff huddling on the other side of the small room.

Straightening up, she approached the trembling mimiga and placed a hand on his shoulder. He jumped, squealing in fear once more and scrambled away from her.

"I'm not going to hurt you," she said.

The mimiga continued to shake for several more seconds before what she said finally sunk in. "Yo…you're not a killer robot?"

She shook her head. "No." She smiled. "I couldn't kill something so cute."

The mimiga looked up at her, the sides of his mouth twitching as though he wanted to smile but wasn't sure he should. "You wouldn't happen to be that savior I've heard so much about?"

"Savior?" She paused, wracking her memory for anything that would suggest she had earned herself that title. "I don't think so, sorry."

His whiskers seemed to droop. "Then you aren't here to help."

"I honestly don't remember. I…I may have been one of the killer robots, but now… Even if I were then, I'm not now." She couldn't help herself, reaching out a hand to ruffle the fur on his head.

He squeaked, startled, then nodded. "I'm Itoh. I managed to escape from the Doctor, but that witch Misery turned me into this. I'd strike back, but," and he shuddered, "I'm too much of a coward."

Though any memories of this Doctor Itoh spoke of were gone from her, she didn't want to disappoint him and didn't let on. "I'll do what I can to help, once I get my memories back."

"I'll be here if you need my help for anything, though what use you'd have for such a pathetic, stranded little man like me, I haven't the foggiest." The smile he gave her was uncertain, as though he were expecting her to ask him to do something crazy.

"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind." With that, she headed out the door leading to the outer wall of the island.

Walking over to the edge, she looked down. The outer wall seemed to be crawling with monsters. She sighed, reaching instinctively once again for a weapon she no longer had. Why did everything have to be so difficult?

X X X

She thumped down on the girder a little harder that she had intended, jarring herself. Taking a moment, she recalibrated her centre of gravity before standing up. She had somehow managed to make it all the way down without getting too badly damaged, but now she had to make her way through the Egg Corridor.

Still unarmed, she wasn't sure if she would be fast enough to outrun the monsters. If she were forced to fight, would she be able to hold her own with just her fists?

Deciding to deal with that when she came to it, she opened the door leading into the island. The room beyond was small, the only things contained within a computer and the remains of a very large egg.

She glanced at the text that glowed at her from the computer's monitor. The message mentioned another robot, but other than that, it meant little to her and she ignored it, moving on to the main cave of the Egg Corridor.

At first, nothing seemed out of the ordinary, the cave appeared as she remembered it. But once past the wall that had at one point served as a barrier, she discovered what appeared to be the aftermath of a sizable explosion. The corridor was in shambles. But she still had to get through it and to the teleporter on the other side.

She maintained a defensive posture as she started her trek, expecting monsters to leap out at her and attack at any moment, but nothing came. And then she noticed the carnage.

Someone else had come through this cave not too long ago, cutting a swath of destruction as he went. No monsters bothered her now because they had all either been killed or scared away. She didn't mind, for it just made her journey that much easier.

The cave itself was fairly large, but it didn't take more than several minutes for her to pick her way through the rubble and to her destination. Without a backwards glance, she hopped onto the teleporter pad and disappeared in a flash of blue light.

X X X

Her destination was an uninhabited house somewhere else on the island. It didn't bother her that no one was there; she was on a mission and could afford no more interruptions. A sense of urgency she didn't really understand pressed her to make haste.

It was a short trip to the graveyard from Arthur's house, and now, though she had reached her destination, she realized she still had no idea what exactly she was looking for. Taking a step forward, she was startled by the sound of a voice down by her foot.

"Hey! Watch where you're steppin'!"

Looking down, she saw only grass. "Who's there?"

A little man separated himself from the surrounding blades of grass and waved up at her. "Me, that's who."

She knelt down so it would be easier to talk to him. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to almost step on you. I didn't see you there."

The little man snorted. "Whatever. Whaddya want?"

"Honestly? I don't know. I was told I could find something here that would restore my memory, but… I don't know what it is."

"Huh, that so? You want to go find that odd mushroom up there, then." With that, he pointed up towards a hole carved out of the ceiling, leading towards a darkened doorway. "I hear you eat it, and all the things you've forgotten will come rushing right back."

She looked up, following his gaze before her eyes fell downwards, noting the monsters lying in wait to attack her once she ventured too close. Mr. Little noticed this as well. "I hope you've got a good weapon for dealing with that."

She shook her head. "I know I should, but I think I lost it."

"Well, you're in luck, then. I'm feeling generous, and I happen to have a fine weapon over here. Follow me." Mr. Little led her over to a rock and pushed aside the grass to reveal an impressive looking weapon. He gestured towards it. "Take it."

She stared down at him, startled. "Are you sure?"

"Ah, yeah. I've got another one just like it back home, anyway."

She grasped the weapon's grip and lifted it from the ground. It felt good in her hand, not too heavy, nor to light, well balanced. She could practically feel the energy radiating from the little gun.

"You like it? She's called Nemesis. She's a good little weapon, I'm sure she'll treat you well."

She nodded, still examining the Nemesis. "Are you sure you want to just give this to me?"

"I toldja, I've got another at home. Now take it and go before I change my mind."

"I…thank you." She stood, weapon in hand and headed deeper into the graveyard. The mushrooms infesting the cave weren't very strong, a few quick blasts from her new weapon was enough to clear them out of her way. It was a short trip to where she needed to go.

With little effort, she jumped up to the high ledge; something a normal human would be incapable of. Without a second though, she opened the door and entered the next cave.

It was little more than a small, dark hole in the wall. The only other occupant was a strange blue mushroom. She knew it had to be the mushroom she was looking for and approached it. It peered up at her.

"You have some business with me?" it asked.

"I think so. I was told there was a mushroom here that could restore my memory if I were to eat it."

"You want to eat me!? No way! I'll have you know I'm unlike any other mushroom in these caves! There's no way I'd just let you eat me! Die!"

The sudden assault took her by surprise. She hadn't expected to get attacked, at least not so quickly. Jumping over the Ma Pignon's initial strike, she drew the Nemesis and fired back. Normally, she wouldn't want to kill a sentient being to help herself, but she had little choice. She didn't think she'd be able to talk it out of trying to kill her, so she had to fight back.

The mushroom rammed into the wall, dislodging several large rocks from the ceiling. She continued to fire on her foe while dodging the boulders crashing down around her.

The Ma Pignon shrieked as one of her blasts seared across its side. She jumped to evade as it charged her again, but it altered course while she was in mid air, flying upwards towards her. She managed to avoid a direct strike, but it clipped her arm, throwing her off balance.

She hit the floor hard, landing on her back as the mushroom continued upwards, disappearing into the inky shadows. Getting to her feet, she looked up, trying to get a glimpse of her target. She could see nothing.

Mushrooms began raining down around her and she started to fire wildly at them, unable to tell which was real and which were just decoys. The doubles disappeared with a pop as she struck them, and a sudden cry of pain told her she'd found the real Ma Pignon.

She kept firing at the mushroom she'd identified until it cried, "All right, I give up! You win…" It fell silent and still.

She approached cautiously, wary of a trap. All seemed normal as she lifted the Ma Pignon from the ground and studied it. Could this strange little mushroom really restore her memory? Pushing aside her fears, she popped the mushroom into her mouth, chewed and swallowed.

At first, nothing happened.

Then, everything came back to her. She remembered her name, her mission to locate and destroy the Demon Crown… and her partner. What had become of Quote?

Curly Brace stood from where she had been kneeling, heading back to Arthur's house while trying to recall when she had last seen the other scout robot she had been originally dispatched with. She recalled fighting the core with him, but after that her memories where still a bit muddled.

As she jumped down back into the graveyard, she remembered giving him her air tank after he had fallen unconscious, locked in and unable to breathe as the core chamber flooded. But then she must have done the same afterwards, no longer being able to breathe herself. How had she survived?

Curly made her way through the mimiga village, still wracking her newly restored memory for anything that could lead her to Quote. The only other thing she could recall before waking up in the plantation with Cthulhu was coming to in a small room with Quote standing over her, looking relieved. There had been the sound of rushing water nearby, and she had said something to him, and then… her memory after that was blank.

But it was obvious to her that she would need his help in the battles to come, and she was determined to find him again.

Shaking her head, she threw open the door to Arthur's house, and was surprised to find it occupied this time. The little old man turned to face her, adjusting his glasses.

"So, it seems the reports were wrong on both accounts. You have survived as well," he said.

Curly blinked. "Do I know you?"

"No, I don't suppose you do. But I know about you."

She narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Who are you, old man?"

"My name is Professor Booster. Though I wasn't involved in the creation of you and your partner, I do work at the same laboratory. I have heard much about you."

"You've met Quote?"

The little man nodded. "Is that his name? Poor boy couldn't remember it the last I talked to him."

"Do you know where he went?"

"Not directly, no. I think he read Kazuma's message on the computer over there and went to the Egg Corridor, but that was a while ago. I don't rightly know where he may have gone from there."

Curly glanced at the computer and something that had been nagging at her suddenly became clear. The message she'd seen on the computer screen in the egg chamber had mentioned a robot. It had to have been Quote.

"Thank you for your help, but I must be on my way. I have to find Quote and then we have a mad dictator to take down."

"Hold on just a moment." She stopped and turned back to Professor Booster, mere steps away from the teleporter. "You may need this to help fight the Doctor. Unfortunately, it's only the prototype for the booster I gave to Quote, but it should still be useful, I hope."

He handed her an odd looking machine and went on to explain the use of the Booster V0.8. Curly strapped it into place on her back and smiled at Booster. "Thank you once again, but I really have to go now." With that, she entered the teleporter and disappeared once more with a flash.

X X X

It didn't take Curly as long as she thought it would to make her way back to the egg chamber, especially now that she had the booster to help her over the more tricky areas. Reaching the computer, she bent over and began reading the note.

"To Mom, Sue, Professor Booster and whoever else may read this.

"I'm sorry. I can't wait here any longer; the situation has grown too dire. I did my best to find you all, but it's obvious I couldn't. I'm really sorry. I don't want to abandon you, but I have no choice. I can't stay here.

"Please, if you can, find some way to leave the island. Forget the Doctor, there's nothing we can do about him. Just get away somehow."

Curly read the next sentence and stopped, stunned by the glowing text. It couldn't be true… She reread the words.

"Even the scout robot thinks this mission is hopeless, and he's agreed to escape with me."

She fell to her knees, shock numbing her body. Quote had given up, run away. How could he? How could he just leave, knowing what would happen if he did? She couldn't help the tears that started to run down her face. After everything that had happened, everything they had suffered through and accomplished, how could Quote give up now? Without his help, they were doomed almost for sure.

She hated to admit it, but she wasn't as tough as he, and after almost ten years of living quietly and raising four orphaned mimigas, she was no longer the honed fighting machine she had used to be.

Burying her face in her arms, Curly started to sob uncontrollably. She couldn't help it, the thought of what the Doctor would do to the mimigas and to others if he were to remain unchallenged was just too terrible for her to bear.

For several minutes, Curly cried, unable to stop herself. Hiccupping, she wiped at her eyes and tried to calm down, knowing tears would be useless now. Clenching her fist, she overrode her sadness with determination.

She would have to save the island from the Doctor herself. There was no other way. She was the only hope left; now that Quote was gone. And she would not run away.

X X X

"Misery!"

The witch turned, fixing Balrog with a grimace of distaste as the large, boxy thing trundled up to her. "What do you want, you oversized toaster?"

"You wouldn't believe what I saw just now!"

Misery continued to glare at Balrog, waiting for him to go on, but he just stared right back, a goony grin plastered across his face. It was clear to her after several moments that he wasn't going to talk.

"Well?" she prompted.

"Guess!" came his cheerful reply.

Misery snarled. "What was it, you buffoon!"

Balrog shrunk back as much as something his size and build could. "All right, all right. That little robot that's been giving us so much trouble, I saw him and that Sakamoto boy take off and leave with a dragon."

Misery had not known what to expect from Balrog, but that certainly had not been it. "Really? They're both gone?"

Balrog nodded. "Uh-huh."

The witch woman fell silent, a cruel smile crossing her lips. Without that pesky robot always getting in the way, her master's plans would go unchallenged… Her face fell. Unless that other robot still on the island decided to make trouble, though, and Misery's smile returned, she wasn't nearly as tough as her male counterpart. She could be easily dealt with, if it came to that.

Misery stood and thanked Balrog, startling him before warping away to reappear in the Doctor's throne room. Date was bent over a table, working on something involving the red flowers, though what it was, she had no idea.

Clearing her throat to get the Doctor's attention, she said, "My Lord, I have some good news."

The Doctor said nothing for a moment, finishing up with what he'd been doing before turning to face the witch. "Yes, what is it?"

"The robot that has been getting in our way and the Sakamoto boy has both fled the island."

Misery suppressed a shudder as the Doctor smiled. "Really? That is indeed good news. He was of little consequence, but now that he will be no longer slowing me down, I can continue with my plans unhindered."

"Indeed, my Lord. However, there is still one robot left on the island, which may insist on troubling us. I doubt, however, she will be as much of a nuisance as the other."

"Does she have any weaknesses we could exploit, just in case?"

"She does." It was Misery's turn to smile this time. "Balrog and I have dealt with her once before while gathering the mimigas, and she had been taking care of four young ones. They are all currently being held with the rest."

"That will do nicely. If she becomes too troublesome, we can use that against her. Now, leave me. I have work to do," replied Date, as he turned back to his experiments.

"Yes, my Lord." And Misery left as quietly as she had come.

X X X

Curly had returned once again to the Plantation. She wasn't sure why, but she couldn't help the feeling that this was the place she needed to be. She didn't know for sure what she should be doing to stop the Doctor, but trying to ruin his crop of red flowers seemed a good place to start.

She had tried to talk to the mimigas working the fields, but they refused to respond to her. She wasn't there to hurt them, so she let them be for the time being while she looked around.

After a few minutes, she found a door leading into a smaller chamber and went inside. It appeared to be an area for storage and resting. Several tired mimigas were lounging around, and in the back, another wearing a set of reading glasses was taking stock of a supply of sprinklers.

Curly was about to try to talk to the resting mimigas when another appeared, carrying a bucket and fishing rod, and approached her. "You remind me of another robot I met back in the village," he said. "Do you know him?"

Curly just nodded, unwilling to talk about Quote. The reality of his running away still upset her. The mimiga nodded back.

"I thought so. If you see him, tell him Kanpachi says hi, okay? I hate farming, so I'm going to go fishing now. See ya later!" And with that, Kanpachi brushed past her and out the door.

After he had left, Curly continued to try to talk to the other mimigas, but once again no one would answer her. She was beginning to get frustrated; if no one would talk to her, she wasn't going to be able to find the Doctor. In the end, she decided to chase after Kanpachi, the only mimiga she had met so far who would talk to her, and see what he knew.

She recalled seeing water from Cthulhu's place when she had first seen the plantation, and headed back towards it. If Kanpachi were going fishing that was the most likely place she would find him at.

Curly had to be careful getting over the water, the booster she had been giving helping greatly. Without her air tank, if she were to fall in, she could flood again and that would help no one.

It didn't take her long to locate Kanpachi, the mimiga sitting contented at the edge of the small lake, dangling his line into the water.

"Excuse me, could I talk to you?" Curly asked as she walked up behind him.

Kanpachi turned and smiled when he saw her. "Yeah, sure. Have a seat. The fish aren't biting anyway."

Curly took his offer, walking up next to the fishing mimiga and sitting down. She considered taking her shoes off and splashing her feet in the water while talking, but decided she wasn't going to be there for long enough to warrant it. So instead she pulled her knees up to her chest and began to talk.

"So, first off, what's going on here? Why is everyone growing red flowers?"

Kanpachi kept his line in the water as he replied. "The Doctor's been telling everyone that robots are going to be attacking again. Personally, I don't buy it, but it's best to do what he says if you want to stay healthy."

"Do you know where the Doctor is now? If there's some way I could get to him?"

Kanpachi's line gave a slight tug, and the mimiga began to reel it in as he answered. "All I know is that his throne is somewhere up above, but I don't know how to get there. Sorry."

Curly fell silent, wondering if her booster would be enough to get her where she needed to go, as Kanpachi drew his fishing line out of the water. Gleaming on the hook was not a fish, but a key.

"Aw, man," Kanpachi sighed, pulling the key from his hook. He offered it to Curly. "Here, I have no use for this. Do ya want it?"

She accepted the offer with a nod. "It might come in handy, who knows? Thank you." She stood, tucking the key into one of her pants pockets. "I should be going, though. Thank you again for your help."

"No problem." The mimiga pointed to a door across the water from where he still sat. "If you want to try to find where that key goes, maybe you should start there?"

"I think I will," replied Curly with a smile. She judged the distance across the water to the door to be just a little too far were she to try to boost across from where she stood. Instead, she jumped out as far as she could, firing up the booster at the last possible moment to carry herself the rest of the way over. Landing, she took the key from her pocket and approached the door. Sliding it into the lock, she turned it and heard a click.

Cautiously, she pushed the door open, not knowing what to expect on the other side. The room beyond the door was small, and turned out to contain a teleporter and a Droll.

The creature stared at Curly, a blank expression on its face as she advanced warily, Nemesis drawn and ready just in case. She didn't want to fight if she didn't have to. The Droll just continued to watch her as she walked over to the teleporter, hoping it may lead her to the Doctor. She was disappointed to find it went to Arthur's house.

"Killer robot!"

Curly's head snapped up at the sudden cry, in time to see the Droll come crashing down upon her, the information meeting its eyes only just now making it to its brain. She had no time to dodge, and was thrown to the floor by the Droll's weight. Her head hit the ground hard and everything went black.

X X X

"Hey, you're not dead, are ya?"

Curly blinked her eyes open, focusing on the face leaning over her. She didn't recognize the mimiga looking at her. Sitting up, she rubbed at her head. "No, I'm not dead."

"That's too bad. If we can't get out of here, you'll soon wish you were." The mimiga kicked at the bars locking her, Curly and two other mimigas within the small cell. "I'm Sue Sakamoto. They're Jack and Mahin. And you are?"

"I'm Curly. Curly Brace. Is there no way at all out of here? I can't stop the Doctor while locked in jail."

Sue seemed startled by this. "You're here to fight the Doctor? You work with that other robot?"

Curly didn't meet Sue's eyes as she replied. "I…I did. But now it's just me."

"What happened to him?" asked Jack, joining the conversation. Mahin meanwhile, continued to eat the rations left for the prisoners.

"I'd rather not talk about him," said Curly, surprising herself with the angry edge to her words. "We don't have time for that, we should find a way to escape."

"And go where?" asked Jack. "The Doctor or his goons will just catch us and throw us back in jail."

"My mom's hiding out in the plantation. If we can get out, we can find her and stay there," said Sue, as she walked over to the rock wall. "Now help me dig. There's been a draft blowing in through these rocks. I think there may be a path on the other side."

Curly walked over beside Sue and studied the wall. "Stand back," she said at last, and drew the Nemesis. Once she was sure the others were safely out of the blast range, she fired at the rocks until they crumbled, revealing a path out.

"Awesome!" cheered Sue, and she scrambled through the hole. "Come on, let's go!"

Curly crawled out after her, careful of the deep puddle just before. Mahin tried to follow after her, but it soon turned out that he was too big to fit. Squeaking in dismay, he squirmed, trying to free himself as he became stuck.

Curly took him by the paws and pulled, but it was clear he wasn't going to fit, and Curly knew she had already made the hole as wide as she could.

"I'm going to have to push you back, I'm sorry," she said.

Mahin nodded in understanding. "It's okay. You'll come back for me, right?"

"I'll do my best," replied Curly, unwilling to lie even to reassure him. She pushed him back, as free as one could be while still confined. Sue jumped back down beside Curly and motioned to Jack.

"Are you coming?" she asked.

Jack shook his head. "I'll stay here with Mahin. I'd just slow you down, and it wouldn't be fair to leave him all alone."

"Are you sure?"

Jack looked uncertain, but still he nodded. "Go on. We're counting on you. Just don't forget to come back for us, okay?"

Curly replied before Sue could. "We'll do what we can. Just hold on."

"Good luck!" Jack called as Sue and Curly began to climb upwards, following the trail until it flattened out and came to a door. Going through, the two found themselves at the top of a rather long drop in another area of the plantation.

Sue looked down. "That's one hell of a jump."

"If you hold on to me, I can handle it," replied Curly. Taking her cue, Sue held onto Curly as the robot leapt from the ledge, using her booster to soften the landing. "Now, how do we get to your mother's hideout?"

Sue lead Curly, the two forced to use the booster a couple more times to drop down to the lower levels of the cave before arriving at the hidden path to the hideout.

Following Sue, Curly crawled out of the tunnel path into a larger dug out area just as the mimiga girl knocked on a door. A voice from within called out, "What's the password?"

"Litagano Motscoud," Sue replied, and the door opened. She waved Curly in and followed once she was through, closing the door behind them.

Inside, an older woman (in her thirties, Curly guessed) worked on an odd contraption. She looked up from her work and broke into a joyful smile. "Sue!"

"Mom!" Sue ran to her mother and allowed herself to be scooped up into an affectionate embrace. Sue's mother continued to hold her daughter for several minutes more, until Sue squirmed free.

"I'm so happy you're okay," her mother said. Looking up, she noticed Curly standing awkwardly by the door. "Are you going to introduce me to your friend?"

"Oh yeah. Mom, this is Curly. Curly, my mom."

"You can call me Momorin," said Sue's mother with a smile. "Sue was telling me about a robot who'd been helping her, but I thought it was a boy?"

"That would have been Quote." Curly's response was exasperated. She was getting tired of explaining Quote's absence. "I'm afraid he can't help anyone now. His mission has fallen to me."

"How terrible. He's been killed?"

Curly shook her head. "Not as far as I know. He fled with a boy named Kazuma."

"That coward!" growled Sue, though Curly couldn't tell if she meant Quote or Kazuma. Momorin seemed stunned and said nothing for several moments.

"Well, at least my boy is safe," she said at last.

An uncomfortable silence fell, lasting several minutes before Curly broke it. "What are you building?"

"Oh, this?" asked Momorin, snapped back to reality. "I'm building a rocket that you can use to reach the Doctor's throne. I still need a few more parts before it's finished, however." She then noticed the booster Curly was wearing, and pointed to it. "Could I borrow that?"

"Sure." Curly removed the booster from her back and handed it to the woman scientist. "What else did you need? Perhaps I can get it for you."

"Well, let's see…" Momorin tilted her head back, tapping at her chin while deep in thought. "I still need something to power it with and something to control it. For that, I suspect one of those sprinklers being used in the fields would do, and the controller that Itoh is so proud of. The sprinkler shouldn't be hard to get, but I'm not sure where Itoh's gotten himself, though I'm sure it isn't far."

Curly couldn't help giggling. "You're right about that. I ran into him on my way here. He's hiding in that storage room leading to the outside wall."

"Great, that's another problem out of the way. It wouldn't be too much to ask for you to get these things for me?"

"Of course not." Curly began to head towards the door. "It shouldn't take long."

"Hold on." Momorin knelt and picked up an item Curly hadn't noticed earlier. "I made this so, if I'd met Quote, he would be able to use it, but you'll have to use it now. You see, the Mimigas in the fields aren't allowed to talk to humans." She handed the fluffy white object to Curly. "With this mask, you may be able to talk to them."

Curly looked at the mask she held. Momorin had sewn it by hand, she was sure, but it was well made considering. Pulling it over her head and tucking back her hair, she turned to Sue and her mother. "So, how do I look?"

Sue said nothing, though she appeared to be trying not to laugh. Momorin nodded, smiling. "Charming. Quite charming. I think perhaps it's a bit too big, but it should get the job done."

Curly nodded, and with a quick farewell, headed off. No one bothered her once she reached the fields, and though she got the impression that the Mimigas weren't really fooled by the mask, they treated her as one of their own anyway. It was easier than she suspected to acquire the sprinkler, and once she had it, she made her way back to the hideout and handed it over.

After a quick inspection and deciding the sprinkler would suit her needs, Momorin asked, "You wouldn't mind finding Itoh now?"

"Not at all." As Momorin and Sue set to work on the rocket, Curly left again, this time heading towards the room where she had last seen the cowardly mimiga. It didn't take her long to get there, and pushing the door open, she was pleased to find he was still there.

"Itoh, how are you?" she asked in way of greeting, happy to see he was still safe.

His response was a nervous frown. "Do I know you?"

His words reminded Curly that she was still wearing the mimiga mask, and she pulled it off, shaking her hair loose. "Remember me now?"

"Oh, it's you." His face broke into a genuine smile. "I suppose you came here for a reason?"

"Momorin Sakamoto asked me to find you. She's building a rocket and needs a part or something from you."

Itoh instantly perked up and started to rummage through the pockets of his lab coat. "I believe I know just what she's after." He continued to search for a few more seconds before producing a small device. He placed it carefully into Curly's hand. "This controller is my pride a joy, so take care of it, okay? And give Ms. Sakamoto my regards."

"You won't come back with me?"

He shook his head, his expression turning nervous again. "No, sorry."

"Okay… You keep safe, then." Curly turned and left again, heading back to the hideout. Once inside, she passed the controller over to Momorin.

"Ah, perfect. Thank you," said Momorin as she turned back to the rocket and set to work. "It would be easier if I had Itoh here to help, but I'll do the best I can. If you need a rest, there's a bed below you can use."

Curly decided to take the older woman up on her offer and made her way below and to the bed. Lying down, she closed her eyes. She had had a long day, and she needed a break and besides, there was nothing else she could do until the rocket was completed.

She was asleep in moments.

X X X

When Curly awoke, she found she was alone, the small hideout abandoned, the rocket moved. She wondered how long she had been asleep for as she headed outside, hoping there would be someone there who could tell her what was going on.

She was in luck. Cresting the hill above the path to the hideout, she found Momorin, Sue and Itoh surrounding the rocket. Itoh seemed to be giving the machine a thorough check, while Momorin was discussing something with her daughter. All three looked up as Curly approached.

Momorin stood and walked over to Curly while Itoh backed away from the rocket, apparently pleased with it. "You're up. Good timing, the rocket is finished. If you ride it up top, you should be able to reach the Doctor's throne."

Curly nodded. "We shouldn't waste anymore time, then. Is there anything I should know before I go?"

"Just be careful, and do your best, okay? We're counting on you." Momorin passed Curly the booster pack she had borrowed earlier. Throwing it over her shoulders, the little robot jumped up onto the rocket.

"So, how does this thing work?"

Momorin pointed to the control panel. "Just flick the switch."

Without another word, Curly flipped the switch. She staggered as the rocket began to rise quickly, throwing her off balance. Righting herself, she watched the walls of the cave rush past and looked up. The ceiling was rapidly drawing closer and Curly fingered the Nemesis at her side. She couldn't help feeling nervous. She was about to confront the man responsible for all the troubles on the island, but she couldn't help feeling that it wasn't supposed to be this way, wasn't supposed to be her alone.

"Damn you for running away, Quote," she muttered. "You weren't supposed to leave this all up to me."

She had no more time to dwell on her situation as the rocket reached the top of its flight. Jumping off onto the platform, Curly headed to the entrance to the next cave and entered.

X X X

"Well…here I am…"

Curly had fought her way through one last cave before emerging on the island top. She had found the helicopter that had brought the Sakamotos and the Doctor to the island, so she knew there would be a way for them to leave once she had taken care of Date.

She stood, silent, outside the entrance to the throne room, the place where Momorin had told her she could find the Doctor. It had been a tough fight for her to get this far, the previous cave almost mazelike in its design, swarming with monsters and traps. And once she had gotten through that, she had encountered several frenzied mimigas that the Doctor was using as guards. Though she had managed to incapacitate most of them without killing them, she had been forced to kill two of them, and it weighed heavily on her conscious. She still had a mission to carry out, though, so she tried not to focus on what she had done and instead, on what she had to do.

Cautiously, she walked through the throne room entrance, unsure of what to expect beyond. Clutching Nemesis tightly, she kept the weapon at the ready, knowing she would have to use it again soon.

The room was open to the air, and Curly made a mental note to keep away from the edges. Up ahead, she could see a large stone throne. Her eyes narrowed as she noticed the figure sitting atop it.

Misery dropped gently to the floor and walked slowly towards Curly, a sinister smirk on her face. "Well, well, well… Look what we have here."

Curly brought her weapon up and trained it at the witch. "Don't come any closer!"

Though Misery stopped, her grin only grew. "Do you really think you'll be able to beat me this time?"

Curly cocked Nemesis and continued to point it at Misery. "I won't let you win this time."

The witch laughed and floated into the air. "Such brave words. Too bad they will be your last."

Curly was already moving before the first bolt was cast. She flipped backwards, avoiding Misery's strike, making use of the agility she had been built for. Landing lightly on her feet, she got off three quick shots, two going wide, but one scorching past Misery's cheek.

Clapping a hand to the resulting wound, the witch narrowed her eyes. "What do you hope to accomplish without your other little friend? I know you are not as powerful as he was, and a new weapon won't help you. You have no chance, just give up."

Curly dodged several more magical blasts as she yelled back. "If you're trying to dissuade me, it's not going to work! With or without Quote, I can't let you or the Doctor win!"

Misery merely snorted and conjured up a large stone block, intent on dropping it on her opponent's head. Curly saw it and rolled to the side just as it smashed down, showering the little robot with rock dust and bits of sharp debris. Shielding her face with her free arm and aiming with only one eye, she took several more shots at the witch.

Most of the blasts missed, but a couple hit their mark, throwing Misery back and to the ground with a grunt. Staggering to her feet, an arm clutched across her stomach, she began to raise her staff, intent on casting yet another spell.

Both she and Curly were distracted by the sudden arrival of the Doctor. Curly had never seen the man before, and it was only due to surprise that she didn't begin to attack right away.

"Misery, bring me a mimiga."

Curly shivered, Date's voice as creepy as he looked. She was set to attack but froze as Misery raised her staff once more, a mimiga materializing in the air and dropping into the Doctor's arms. Her eyes went wide.

Semi was the youngest and only female among the orphaned mimigas Curly had been taking care of for the last ten years. Though she had never admitted it aloud, she had thought them all dead by the Doctor's hand. Though she was relieved to see that at least one of them was still alive, she couldn't stop the feeling of dread at what Date might do to her.

"Momma!" The little mimiga squirmed and reached out for Curly, squeaking and crying in fear.

"Semi!" Curly brought the Nemesis to bear on Date, though she knew she couldn't fire for fear of hitting her child. "You let her go!"

"As you wish." The Doctor didn't let her go right away, though. Instead, he first produced a red flower and forced Semi to eat it. Laughing, he then dropped her to the floor and backed away to observe, Misery following.

"No!" Curly ran to the young mimiga's side and sat her up. "Spit it up!" she demanded, almost hysterical, but it was too late. Semi looked up at her adoptive mother, her eyes already going bloodshot.

"Momma…my tummy hurts," she mumbled before doubling over and screaming in pain.

"No! NO!" Curly could do nothing but watch in horror as Semi's form changed and grew. Her fur became ragged, her body growing to almost four times its normal size. Omnivore teeth grew huge and more pointed as the once harmless child became a raging beast.

Jumping out of the way of a clawed swipe, Curly scrambled away from the creature that had once been such a sweet little girl. She was still in shock, her body moving of it's own accord as she tried to avoid getting hurt, while at the same time unwilling to fight back. She hoped that perhaps, if she could avoid being attacked for long enough, Semi would revert back to her normal form without being hurt.

Semi moved quicker than Curly expected, and she managed to get several hits in, knocking the little robot around though not causing much damage. It was after the fifth or so time she was knocked back that Curly realized she would have to retaliate. Reluctantly raising her weapon, she began to fire.

Letting out an angry roar as energy blasts seared her fur, Semi continued to attack, trying to pummel Curly with her fists. She took several more hits as she fought back, hoping she wouldn't be forced to hurt Semi too badly before she reverted.

It was just as Curly was starting to feel unbalanced and beginning to think she wasn't going to win the battle when the frenzied mimiga reared back at a final strike, blinking in confusion before shrinking back down to her normal size and flopping to the floor.

Running to Semi's side, Curly dropped her weapon and lifted the worm mimiga's worn form into her arms.

"Momma…?" Semi's voice was tired, weak. She had no energy to even squirm, her body almost a dead weight in Curly's arms. She was smeared with blood, and patches of her fur still smoked from where she'd been hit by Curly's shots, and though the damage hadn't seemed like much when she was frenzied, now it appeared to be too much.

"Shh, it's okay. Momma's got you," Curly replied, hoping for the best, but knowing deep down it was already too late.

"I'm sorry, momma…"

"Don't be. It's not your fault; I wasn't strong enough to protect you. I'm the one who should be sorry."

The child raised a shaky paw to Curly's face. "I…forgive you…momma…"

Curly couldn't stop the tears as Semi's paw fell, her eyes sliding shut for the last time, her little body going limp in Curly's arms as her life slipped away.

Curly gently placed Semi's still body back to the ground, too shocked to react beyond the tears she couldn't stop, and just stared blankly. She had forgotten that Misery and the Doctor were still in the room watching until Date began to laugh. She snapped her head up and glared, her pain turning towards anger more intense than anything she had felt before as the Doctor spoke.

"How interesting. The robot has been programmed to care."

Curly stood slowly, lifting the Nemesis from where she had dropped it, barely aware of what she was doing through her seething rage. She began to charge at the Doctor, a growl building in her throat as she ran which became a full out roar.

Blinded by her rage, she didn't notice Misery as the witch summoned a bolt of lightning. Curly was thrown backwards by the strike, landing heavily and laying still.

"Is she dead?" asked Date.

Misery shook her head. "No, my Lord. She is only stunned."

The Doctor waved a hand dismissively. "I have more important things to deal with. Send her back to the labyrinth for now."

"Yes, my Lord."

Casting one more spell, Misery sent the unconscious robot away before warping herself away along with Date, leaving the throne room silent save for the rustle of fur in the wind.


	3. Preparations

Author's Note/Disclaimer: I don't own Cave Story, it belongs to Pixel. And I'm glad he made it. Tee hee.

Alrighty, this is yet another not very actiony chapter. I've tried not to make it too dull, but trust me; things will really start to pick up ("pick up" meaning here "go to hell") in the next chapter, so please stick with me. I promise it'll be worth it, but things have to be built up to, ya know? Mwee hee hee… And for those of you wondering, the reasoning behind naming Curly's child in the previous chapter Semi is a punctuation joke. Semi the Colon. Hee hee. That, and naming people after punctuation probably seems quite normal to Curly Brace, wouldn't you think?

Chapter Two: Preparations

She was lying in a soft, warm bed when she came to. She could hear movement about her but refused to open her eyes. She wasn't sure where she was, and she really didn't care. She had no reason to; the Doctor had defeated her. Her battle was over before it had even really begun. There was no hope now, not without Quote. She wasn't strong enough to take his place.

"How is she doing, Hasumi?"

Curly recognized the voice as a hand touched her shoulder.

"She seems to be okay, her injuries aren't too serious. She should be up and about again in no time."

Curly didn't want to move. She just wanted to go back to sleep, to slip back into black nothingness and remain there forever. She didn't want to deal with what she had done, with her failure and the things that were sure to come as a result.

"It's odd, though… I would have thought she'd have come to by now…"

Though she didn't want to acknowledge anything or anyone, after she heard this, she could no longer pretend to be asleep and ignore the world. She sat up slowly. "I'm awake."

"Oh." Gero turned towards her and smiled. "How are you feeling?"

Curly didn't reply right away. She looked away, unable to stand seeing his cheerful expression. She mumbled something and his expression turned to confusion.

"I'm sorry, I didn't catch that."

"I…feel awful…"

"Are you hurt? Do you feel ill?"

Curly shook her head. "No…"

"What's the matter, then? Can we help somehow?"

Once again, she didn't reply, merely shaking her head. Gero's expression became worried as he noticed the tears building in her eyes. Hasumi placed her hand on Curly's shoulder once more.

"What happened to you?" she asked.

"I… I…" Curly couldn't find the words to finish, and buried her face in her hands as she started to cry. There was nothing Hasumi or Gero could do to calm her, so they did what they could to comfort her and waited. Some time passed before Curly stopped weeping, but still she didn't feel up to talking to anyone just yet. "Please… Leave me alone…"

"Dear," said Hasumi, causing Curly to look up. There was an edge to the nurse's tone that said 'I respect your wishes, but you are GOING to listen to me.' "I understand that you're hurting. Though I don't know why, it's quite clear. But nothing is going to get better if you keep it all to yourself. I'd like to think we're friends, and as your friend, I would like to help."

Curly sniffed and wiped at her eyes, the barest hint of a smile crossing her face. "You're probably right…" She began to talk, the words pouring from her mouth before she could stop them. She told Hasumi and Gero about Quote's desertion, about how she had tried to fill his shoes only to find she was a poor substitute, finishing with her battle against Misery and how it had led to her being forced to fight and kill one of her own children.

Curly was surprised to find that, though it still hurt, she did feel better now that she had shared her story with someone else. She was startled however, to see tears in nurse Hasumi's eyes.

"You poor girl…" Hasumi sniffed. "That Doctor is evil, and no mistake. If only I could fight, I'd be more than willing to help you take him down."

Curly shook her head. "There's no point. I'm not strong enough to beat the Doctor. Without Quote, this island's doomed."

"That may be true," spoke up Gero, "but what if you weren't alone? What if you gathered an army?"

The female robot blinked. She hadn't thought of that. If she could overwhelm the Doctor through numbers…but then again… "Who would fight with me? Quote and I were the only soldiers on the island that weren't broken beyond repair."

"What about the Gaudi?"

"The Gaudi?" She shook her head once more. "I don't know what they have against me, but they'd as soon kill me as look at me."

"It's not so much that they have something against you," said Hasumi. "It's their job. They're here to protect the island's core. To them, you must look quite suspicious."

"The core…?" If Curly could have paled, she would have. As it was, her voice was strained. Hasumi and Gero exchanged looks.

"Are you okay?"

"The core…isn't here anymore… Quote and I, we didn't know, and it attacked us so we tried to destroy it. We would have, but the Doctor, he took it away somewhere."

There was silence for several moments. "Well," Gero said at last, "at least there's no reason to keep the Gaudi in the labyrinth anymore."

Curly stared at her hands. She didn't really know for sure who attacked first, since she had been out cold at the time. But if she knew Quote – though she was beginning to wonder if she really did – she knew he wouldn't have started the fight.

"I… I should go talk to the Gaudi, though," said Curly in an attempt to steer the conversation back to its original topic. Swinging her legs around, she tried to get up but the doctor stopped her.

"You still need to rest. Don't push yourself."

It was only then that Curly realized just how tired she really was. Her power reserves were low, she needed to sleep and recharge. Nodding, she lay back down and pulled up the blankets. She didn't really need them, but she felt more comfortable this way. Hasumi patted her gently on the shoulder once more before turning away to see to her other duties, Gero already having done so.

Closing her eyes, Curly soon fell into a dreamless sleep.

X X X

"My lord, it will not be long now before all the red flower seeds have been grown."

Date looked up from his work to glance at Misery. "Indeed? Are we certain that all the seeds were from the same type of flower?"

"Fairly certain, my lord. However, I have brought samples if you wish to test them."

The Doctor tapped his chin in contemplation before a cruel smile crossed his face. "Yes, let us test them." Turning to the caged Mimigas lining his lab, Date grabbed one at random and pulled the unlucky creature out into the room by the scruff of his neck.

Santa had been locked away as soon as he had been brought to the plantation, flat out refusing to help the Doctor. He now squirmed in the Doctor's grasp, squeaking in protest as he was brought before the witch. "Feed him the flowers."

"Yes, my lord." The witch approached the trembling mimiga and forced the freshly grown red flower down his throat as Date continued to hold him in place.

At first, nothing seemed to happen. Santa sat back, head bowed as though resigned to his fate. Misery and the Doctor both stood back, awaiting the change while keeping out of range of flailing paws. As the two continued to watch, Santa suddenly let out a cry of pain, his body changing, growing. Fur went ragged as rational thought was overwhelmed by an uncontrollable fury. Omnivore teeth became elongated carnivore fangs.

The monster that had been Santa let out a roar and cast blood red eyes around the room, looking for something to attack. His eyes locked onto the Doctor and Misery, yet he did not move, the power of the demon crown holding him at bay.

"Splendid!" Date declared. "This will do nicely."

"What shall I do with him now, my lord?" asked Misery.

"Throw him off the island. I have no use for him now."

"Yes, my lord." The witch raised her staff, a magical light filling the room. When it faded, the frenzied mimiga was gone.

X X X

Curly wasn't sure how long she had been asleep, but she couldn't deny that she felt much better now for the rest. Nurse Hasumi turned to smile at her when Curly sat up.

"Feeling better, dear?" Hasumi asked.

Curly nodded. "Much, thank you." She hopped down out of bed and looked around for her weapon. "I don't have much time to spare though. I should be moving on now. Do you know where my Nemesis has gone?"

Gero came forward, carrying the weapon and handed it to the female robot. "If you plan to try to talk to the Gaudi, there's a shop not too far from here where you may find someone willing to talk to you. Ask for Chaba." He pointed in the direction of the shop. "Be careful out there."

"You don't have to worry about that," replied Curly, unable to help the grin as she strapped the Nemesis to her side again. She walked to the clinic's door and turned a final look at the doctor and his nurse. "Thank you for everything. I hope we can meet again under better circumstances." With that, she left the small clinic, entering into one of the main labyrinth caves. Gaudi fighters swarmed throughout the area, attacking her as she drew their attention. She felt reluctant to fight them now, knowing they could be her last hope, and tried her best to navigate to her destination without hurting too many of them.

It wasn't long before she came to another door and ducked inside, hoping it led to Chaba's store. She jumped, startled, as she came face to face with another Gaudi. She cautiously raised her weapon, but the large beetle-like creature did little more than sniff at her, giving her a curious stare before turning away and heading further into the room. Lowering the Nemesis slowly, Curly examined her surroundings.

At first, it seemed almost as though she were in a storeroom of sorts, large packing crates piled in odd places around the cave. There were several Gaudi moving around the place, though she couldn't tell offhand what they were supposed to be doing. None of them seemed intent on attacking her, however, and she holstered her weapon.

Climbing over some crates that had been piled just in front of the door, Curly caught sight of a Gaudi standing behind what appeared to be a storefront. She made her way over to him, but he spoke before she could say anything.

"Sorry, I don't have anything left to sell," he sighed.

"That's okay. I'm actually here looking for Chaba, do you know him?" she replied.

The oversized beetle blinked. "I'm Chaba. What do you want?"

"I'm trying to find people to help me fight the Doctor. I'd like to talk to whoever may be in charge of Gaudi about this. Do you know who that would be?"

"There really isn't anyone in charge of us, miss, but if it helps you any, it was the witch woman Jenka who set us here. We're supposed to be protecting something on her behalf, though it's been so long, I can no longer remember what it was. She would be the closest thing to a leader we have."

Curly chose not to mention anything about the core. She wasn't sure how he would react to the news, and she didn't need to make any more enemies, even if by accident. Instead, she thanked him for his help, said farewell and headed back out through the cave towards the boulder chamber. The Gaudi outside still saw her as an enemy, and again she did her best to get through without hurting too many of them while still protecting herself.

She was relieved when she finally saw the door to the next chamber, knowing that the room it led to was free of enemies and contained the teleporter she had been trying to reach. From there, it was a short trip back to Arthur's house.

The building was empty; though Curly didn't take the time to worry about what may have happened to Professor Booster as she set the teleporter coordinates to the Sand Zone. She hoped the old man was okay, but she didn't have the time to find out what had happened to him.

Once the teleporter was set, she hopped up onto the pad, shaking her head. "I really hope all this aimless wandering will actually accomplish something," she muttered before flipping the switch.

X X X

Curly had not anticipated how difficult it would be to pass her old home. She and her four adopted mimigas had lived in the Sand Zone for ten years, and just seeing the place again was a reminder of everything that had happened since, of her failure to protect her children. It was almost more than Curly could bear.

She knew that she didn't have the time now to be depressed about it. She had a job to do, and she was the only one on the island now with a chance, however slim, to save it. She still took a moment to just stare at her old home before pressing on.

Though Curly had lived in the Sand Zone for many years, she had never gone far into the cave. She knew nothing grew within, so any trips she had made before were usually to the teleporter and the village for food. She wasn't at all sure where Jenka lived.

The path Quote had left wasn't hard to follow, though. Crawling through the blown out walls, Curly soon found herself at the place where the Sunstones had been, though they were still open from when Quote had lifted the spell keeping them shut. She dropped down into the opened path, figuring that the old witch's house would probably be beyond the magically sealed door.

She didn't have much farther to travel before discovering that she had been correct. She knocked, but didn't bother to wait for a reply before throwing the door open in her haste and rushing inside. She stopped short before saying anything, caught off guard by the fact that the witch wasn't alone. She and the little old man with her turned to stare at Curly.

"You… What are you doing here?" asked Booster.

"I…uh…" Curly trailed off, forgetting what she wanted for just a moment due to her surprise. Jenka and Booster waited patiently, silently, for her to continue. Curly shook her head to clear it and spoke again. "I need your help."

"Are you still looking for your friend?"

"No. I already know what's come of him, and that's the reason I need your help. I'm sorry to say it, but Quote has deserted. I've already tried to fight the Doctor on my own once now, and I know that I'm not strong enough to defeat him on my own."

Jenka watched her carefully, patting at the head of one of her dogs, Curly recognizing it as the one she had found and taken care of not long ago. "I would help if I were but a few hundred years younger, but as it is, what could this poor old woman possibly do?"

"Would you, could you talk to the Gaudi? Convince them to fight with me instead of against me?"

"My dear, what makes you think I would be able to do that any better than you?"

Curly didn't reply right away, sudden doubt quashing what hope she still clung to. Bitter tears began to sting her eyes, but she blinked them away, refusing to give up. "A Gaudi storekeeper told me you were the one who set them to guarding something in the labyrinth. But the core is no longer there, the Doctor took it. I doubt they would listen to me, since I look too much like the robots from ten years ago who were here to destroy the core. I think they will listen to you, though."

The small house was silent for several moments, save for the sounds of Jenka's dogs panting and scratching, the old witch considering what Curly had said. After a moment, she smiled and began to laugh. "Okay, we will try this idea of yours."

Before Curly or Booster could react, the old witch raised her staff and began casting a spell. Curly had been the target of this type of spell once before, and was ready for it when the room she had been standing in suddenly disappeared to be replaced by the walls of Chaba's store.

It still took a moment for the disorientation that followed to fade, but once it did Curly could see that now she, Jenka and Booster were all in the store. Though most of the Gaudi paid them little or no attention, a couple of them were regarding them curiously. Jenka left the group and approached Chaba.

"Are you the shopkeeper Chaba I've heard so much about?" she asked.

The beetle-like creature nodded. "I am. How can I help you?"

"Pass the word that the witch Jenka wishes to speak to the Gaudi. Have them gather in that long, flat passage shortly before the Boulder Chamber. Can you do that?" The shopkeeper seemed a little stunned, but he still nodded. "Good, get to it."

Chaba scrambled away from the witch, leaving the store presumably to carry out the task, which Jenka had set for him. Curly approached her once the large, beetle-like creature had gone, and asked, "So, what do we do now?"

"Now," replied Jenka, "we wait and see what happens."

X X X

It wasn't long before Curly found herself, along with Jenka and Booster, standing in the long, flat corridor of the labyrinth where Quote had fought Monster X. Large crowds of Gaudi were gathered, swarming around muttering, curious as to why they had been summoned.

Jenka waited several moments until it seemed the last Gaudi had straggled in, and walked to the head of the gathering. Silence fell as the old witch raised her staff for attention.

"Thank you all for coming," she began. "I'm Jenka. Now I'm sure you are all wondering what I've called you here for. It's simply this: The task that I had set you earlier is now over. The core, which you were to protect, is gone, taken from the labyrinth by the Doctor. I must now ask you to take up arms and help in the battle against this man, in exchange for your freedom."

The crowd's reaction was mixed. Though most of the Gaudi seemed to like the idea, others seemed dead set against it, and yet others weren't sure if they should get involved. Curly couldn't help overhearing some of the muttered conversations among them, and she had to talk to Jenka about it, worried about what she had heard. She approached the witch and spoke quietly, so as not to be overheard by the crowd.

"D-do Gaudi eat mimigas?"

Jenka nodded. "That was part of the reason why I separated them. Don't worry, I will ask them to refrain from doing so."

As though on cue, a voice in the crowd called out, "What's in it for us? Will we get to eat mimigas again?"

The old witch shook her head at the question and turned back to the gathering. "No. We are trying to rescue them. And as for your reward, if you help and do not eat the mimigas, then you will be protecting not only the outside world, but yourselves also from the Doctor. This man means to enslave the world, you included. Will you band together and help us stop him?"

Though it was apparent there were still a few Gaudi who were unsatisfied with the rewards, most agreed to help in the end.

"Now, one last point of business before anything else. All armies need a leader." Here Jenka grasped Curly by the shoulders and pushed the startled robot towards the crowd. "This girl will be your new leader. She may not look it, but she knows how to fight. Listen well to what she may tell you."

Curly blinked in surprise and stared out over the crowd of silent, beetle-like creatures. She had never really led anything before, and now she couldn't help wondering if she would be able to cut it. She didn't have time to dwell on that at the moment though, as Jenka took over once more.

"Now we just need a base of operations that the Doctor doesn't know about. Follow me."

The old witch walked over to a wall and gestured. The place she was pointing to seemed to be nothing more than a solid rock wall, but once someone had passed her a lantern, she walked into a hitherto unnoticed opening in the rock, barely noticeable unless the light hit it just right. It took some time for everyone, following in a single file through the small tunnel, to reach the hidden system of caves on the other side. There was enough room for everyone and then some.

"We should be fairly safe here," said Jenka. "The Doctor, nor Misery and Balrog should know of this place."

Curly nodded and then addressed her newly acquired force herself. "This is where we're going to set up base, so gather the things you'll need to fight. Once we're ready, we're gonna take this fight right to the Doctor!"

There was little cheering to greet this statement, but Curly hadn't really expected any. She had never been much good at speeches, nor did she expect the Gaudi to trust her as a leader before they had even seen her tried in battle. They still set to preparations, however, and that was all she really cared about at the moment.

"Excuse me."

Curly turned round to face the old man who had come up so quietly behind her. "Yes?"

"I was wondering," asked Booster, "If you had seen any of the others while you were searching for your friend."

Curly nodded, and briefly told him of her encounters with Itoh, Sue and Momorin. "We should get them down here, along with anyone else the Doctor has yet to imprison."

Booster agreed and together, he and Curly brought up the issue with Jenka. She also thought it was a good idea, and several parties of Gaudi were sent forth to gather anyone who would join the battle, or else just wanted to take shelter from the Doctor.

There was still one last thing Curly wanted to know before anything else was done. She located Jenka once more, the old witch in the middle of a conversation with some of the Gaudi about things Curly didn't understand, and patiently waited for her to finish before speaking.

"Gaudi weapon smiths don't work with guns, do they?" she asked once she had the witch's attention.

Jenka nodded. "No, they don't. You want to get your weapon checked out before heading into battle, don't you?"

"Yeah. Do you know someone on the island I could go to?"

"There is an old gunsmith living in the caves above the Mimiga village. He may be able to help you."

"Thank you." Curly smiled, and made sure the Nemesis was still in its holster before heading towards the exit to the labyrinth. "You can handle things here until I return?"

"Shouldn't be a problem."

"Great, thanks again. I don't expect to be long, and when I return, we're really gonna show that Doctor what for!" With that, Curly disappeared into the tunnel, on her way to visit the hermit gunsmith.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

There ya are, chapter two finished. And just because I feel like rewarding those of you who have stuck with me this far, I present a short fic I wrote a while back in Writer's Club but never posted because it was really too short to stand on its own.

**Skylark Starflower  
****Proudly Presents  
**"**Balrog's Adventures in Space!"**

Space Monkey steered his ship towards Planet XL5.

"Huzzah!" yelled Balrog from the backseat. Though the space faring chimp had kidnapped him, he didn't mind. Misery had always been telling him to take a long trip, though it was usually on a short pier. He wasn't sure why.

Space Monkey glared at him. "Stop that incessant huzzahing this instant or I'll turn this ship around right now! I can always kidnap some other strange boxy creature for her Majesty the Imperial Space Queen Monkey Banana!"

"Wait, kidnap? I though we were going on a road trip?"

"You idiot! That's what I told you to get you into my ship!"

"Oh. Okay!" Balrog looked out the window again and, unable to control himself, yelled huzzah again.

"That's it! I can't take it anymore!" And with that, Space Monkey skidded to a halt, leaving a trail of stardust skid marks in the sky before hightailing it back to Earth and the strange floating rock where he had found Balrog. Dumping the box, he turned and flew away.

Balrog watched him go. "Aww…"

The End (Huzzah!)


	4. Unforgiving

Author's Note/Disclaimer: I don't own Cave Story. It is property of Pixel. I'm just borrowing the characters for fun!

And so begins the real hell and bizarre relationships I'm gonna put the characters through before this fic is over. Muwaa haa ha ahaa haaaaaaaaaaa! I really don't know where all these messed up ideas keep coming from lately. So, yeah, Kazuma. In this fic, gay. Why? Because the first impression I got of him from the game was that he was hitting on Quote. Mwee hee. And though I like shonen ai, I'm really not the type to be seeing it everywhere just because I want it to be there. (Ex: Squall/Seifer. Sure, it's cute, and fun to read about at VGR, but I don't really think they're gay for each other. Though I would have preferred that to Rinoa. Tee hee.) And yeah, I changed the title. The original one was more of a placeholder until I thought of something better, anyway. ANYWAY, here you are, the point in the fic where things really start moving. Have fun.

Chapter Three- Unforgiving

The sun's rays did their best to break through the tree cover, speckling the clearing with dots of bright light and shadow. The beauty of his surroundings went unnoticed by the little scout robot, however. It wasn't that he was unable to appreciate such things, he had just gotten so used to it that at most times he no longer paid it any attention.

He and Kazuma had found an old abandoned cabin in the woods after several hours of flight on the back of the Sky Dragon. Though he had wondered why they weren't returning to civilization, the little robot hadn't argued when Kazuma decided that they would stay and settle in the little structure. Only a few days had passed since then, and already the little robot had stopped worrying about it.

"Nice day, isn't it?"

The little robot turned at the sudden voice to find Kazuma coming up behind him. The young scientist stood next to him, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. The scout robot blinked. He didn't understand Kazuma's behaviour but he said nothing and simply nodded in agreement.

"I'm going to go out and see if I can find some edible roots and berries so we don't end up starving," Kazuma continued, a serene smile crossing his face. "Will you come with me?"

The little robot shook his head. "I was going to chop wood for the fire, remember?"

"Right, right." Kazuma's smile seemed to falter a little. "I'll be on my way then. See you later."

With that, Kazuma turned to the scout robot and took him by the chin, tilting his head back. Leaning over, the young scientist gently pressed his lips against the little robot's. It was another strange action he didn't understand, and he stared blankly at Kazuma when the older boy pulled back.

His confusion didn't seem to bother Kazuma, and the scientist turned and disappeared into the woods without another word. The little robot continued to stare after him for several seconds before turning away and heading to the woodpile.

The previous owners of the cabin had left behind a small stock of items necessary for survival in the wilderness, though time and neglect had taken their toll on many of them. The axe that had been left behind had been dull and rusted almost beyond repair, but after a couple hours work sharpening, the small robot had managed to put an edge on it again.

It was this that he now lifted from where he had left it the other day and set to work. It was dull, monotonous work, and it wouldn't have bothered him if not for the fact that it left him free to think. Lately, he had been trying to avoid this, since his mind would always travel back to the island. At the time, Kazuma's offer to escape had really seemed like the only solution, but now he had to wonder if he had done the right thing.

No, he admonished himself. He knew he hadn't done the right thing. The right thing would have been to stay and fight to the bitter end. Instead, he had tried to run from his problems, but it hadn't worked. They had followed him, refusing to give him peace of mind.

Was Curly really dead? He hadn't seen her die, he had no proof, but how could she have survived? Left unchecked, would the Doctor really become that much of a menace to surface? Someone had certainly thought so, or else he and Curly would never have been dispatched to the island, indeed perhaps not even built. And yet, in his depression and the resulting momentary lapse in judgment, he had abandoned his mission. He had abandoned his friends.

He shook his head, trying to clear the unsettling thoughts from his mind and focused back on the task in front of him. He was just raising the axe for his next chop when the scream came echoing through the trees. Dropping the axe, the little robot wheeled about towards the direction the older boy had disappeared down only moments ago.

"Kazuma!"

He wasn't completely sure where he was going; running in the direction the scream had come from, pulling the Spur from the holster at his hip. There had been no sound since the original cry, the little robot not sure if this was a good sign or not, though he doubted it could be good.

The noises, a meaty ripping sound, reached him before he actually saw anything. Feeling slightly sickened, he followed the sounds to find a not totally unexpected scene before him. The grass was splashed with blood; it was everywhere, along with torn bits of clothing and tufts of white fur. A body, Kazuma's body, lay twisted at an unnatural angle on the ground, his lab coat torn to shreds and heavily stained with blood. A bloodied white beast loomed over him, stripping strings of flesh from the carcass with its monstrous jaws.

For a moment, the little robot just stood and stared. He knew now with a horrified certainty that he should never have left the island; raising the Spur as the frenzied Mimiga turned its attention towards him. Blood still dripped from the fur around its muzzle, a bit of flesh dangling from between its teeth. The little scout robot felt he would have been sick if he were able.

He fired first, drawing the monster away from Kazuma, though he was well aware that he was far too late to save him. He just didn't want the creature to desecrate the remains any more than it already had, though now he had given it a new target.

The little robot ducked behind a tree, narrowly avoiding having his side ripped open by the frenzied mimiga's clawed swipe. Holding his finger on the trigger of his weapon, he felt the Spur grow warm in his hands as it charged. He hoped he would have enough time to get a full charge and finish the battle quickly as he was forced into the open once more as the raging monster came at him from around the tree.

A slight beep told the little robot that his weapon had achieved a level two charge. There was only one more level to go, if he could hold out that long. He continued to weave in and out of the trees, managing to remain one step ahead of the frenzied Mimiga. Staying out of range was all he could do while waiting for his weapon to charge.

Though he had been paying attention to where he was going, the little scout robot hadn't been attentive of where he was putting his feet. He slipped as he put his foot down on a bloody patch of grass, losing his balance, though he still managed to keep his finger on trigger. The frenzied Mimiga took full advantage of the situation, boxing the little robot upside the head, knocking him to the ground just as the Spur chirruped, signifying a full charge.

Raising the weapon, he fired just as the monster swatted at his hands. The beam went wide, ripping through the creature's shoulder as the Spur was knocked from the little robot's grasp. The weapon smacked against a tree with an audible crack and fell to the grass.

The frenzied Mimiga didn't seem bothered by its damaged shoulder, rearing up before the downed robot and roaring before preparing to deliver the final strike. The little bot tried to scramble out of reach, but the grass was slick with blood, and he could find no purchase in his haste. He stared up with wild eyes as the monster prepared to finish him off.

The final blow was never struck. The Sky Dragon came roaring out of the heavens and dove at the monstrous creature, raking its claws down the Mimiga's back. Rising up into the air, it twisted around and swooped in for another run as the little robot took his chance to escape.

Running over to where his weapon had fallen, he lifted it from the grass and tried to let off some quick shots to assist the dragon, but the trigger only clicked and the weapon didn't fire. It was broken, and he had left his other weapons back at the cabin. He was effectively out of the fight.

As it turned out, he didn't have to worry. The frenzied Mimiga had already taken too much damage from the combined attacks, and as it keeled over, it reverted to its natural state. He stared, recognizing the mimiga now, as it lay dead before him. Falling to his knees, he covered his eyes with a hand, ignoring the blood that smeared across his face as he did so.

He felt almost certain that if he had stayed on the island, this would not have happened to Santa. But he had left, and in so doing, had doomed this poor creature to death. Now he knew he should go back, to try to repair what damage he had already done, and to help prevent anything of this sort from happening again.

He was drawn from his thoughts by a puzzled whine, and looked up to see the Sky Dragon standing by Kazuma's corpse. Kazuma had been the first thing the dragon had seen upon hatching and through imprinting, had bonded quickly with him. As a hatchling, it had yet to really grasp the concept of death and was nuzzling the body, wondering why it wasn't moving.

Standing, the little robot walked to the dragon's side and placed a hand on its shoulder. "I'm sorry, Nero…"

The dragon, named Nero by Kazuma though the young scientist had admitted to the fact that he didn't know if the dragon was male or female, lifted its head and nuzzled against the little robot's face. Though it didn't completely understand death, it could tell that something bad had occurred.

"…Come on." The little robot led the dragon away from the battleground and back to the cabin, where it promptly settled onto the grass before the door, putting its head down across its front talons, looking much like a forlorn puppy. It kept its eyes fixed on the path Kazuma had taken into the woods, as though expecting its surrogate parent to return at any moment.

The little robot left the dragon to mourn as he went to fetch the shovel, intent on burying the bodies. It was the least he could do for Kazuma and Santa now. Though it was the last thing he wanted to think about, the little robot couldn't help feeling, knowing, that he was entirely responsible for these two deaths. Two more innocent lives had been lost because of his failure.

Shoving these depressing thoughts aside, the robot lifted the shovel over his shoulder and went back to where Kazuma and Santa still lay. It took him longer than he had originally thought to lay the two to rest. Once he was done, he piled rocks at the head of each mound of upturned dirt, the best he could do for grave markers.

Straightening up, he just stared at the two graves for several moments before his outwardly calm attitude crumbled, and he fell to his knees, sobbing bitterly.

X X X

The Sky Dragon lifted its head as the little robot returned to the cabin, almost two hours after he had first left. It growled, puzzled, wondering why he was so dirty. Dirt and blood was smeared across his body, there was almost no part of him that had been left unsullied. The scout robot said nothing about it, though, as he unceremoniously threw the shovel to the ground and disappeared into the cabin.

When the little robot emerged once more almost a half hour later, he had cleaned up and was carrying the bag in which he kept his weapons and the few other things he possessed. Walking over to the dragon, he patted it on the head as it nuzzled up to him once more. Though it had bonded to Kazuma first, it had grown rather fond of the little robot as well.

"I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to take me back to the island, Nero."

The dragon whined in confusion, and looked towards the woods once more, its way of asking after Kazuma. The robot shook his head. "I'm sorry, but Kazuma… He's never coming back…"

This the dragon understood, and it let out a roar so heartrending that the scout robot could barely keep from breaking into tears again himself. As it was, he bent forward and rested his head against the dragon's side. "I'm sorry. It's all my fault… That's why I have to go back. To keep this from happening again to someone else."

Several moments later, the dragon was winging its way back to the island; the little robot perched upon its back. He never once looked back.

X X X

It didn't take Curly long to reach the Mimiga Village. Though Jenka had said that the gunsmith lived up above the village, it still took her a few moments to locate the cave's entrance. She had never been this way before, and the last time she had seen an actual map, it had belonged to Quote. Without him, she had to find her own way around.

Making use once more of the booster, she managed to get up to the cave door nestled in a small nook near the ceiling. Heading inside, she found the cave beyond to be narrow and straightforward. She began to follow it deeper in.

Curly was fairly certain the gunsmith was somewhere in this cave, though she didn't know where. Not far from where she had entered, she found another door and decided to check it, though beyond all she found was a small room and nothing else. She had a strange feeling about the room, but she ignored it and left.

The critter and bat population wasn't much of a bother as Curly continued on deeper into the cave. It didn't take long before she could see what looked like a dead end ahead of her. On the wall, however, was a carved frieze of a large wild cat. She had seen a similar doorway once before, and headed now towards this one, hoping it would contain the entrance to the gunsmith's home.

There was indeed a door within the cat's mouth, and Curly knocked. The voice that replied was aged and somewhat cranky. "Who's there? Whaddya want?"

The door didn't open, so Curly, feeling somewhat silly, yelled her reply back through the wooden barrier. "I'm sorry to bother you, sir, but I'm looking for a gunsmith. Do you know where I could find him?"

There was no reply for several seconds, and Curly almost expected that the conversation had ended there before the door opened suddenly. An old man stood in the doorway, not exactly glowering, but certainly not smiling, either. Seeing Curly, his expression became questioning, and whatever he had been planning on saying died on his lips.

"Hello," Curly started, "Are you-?" She didn't get a chance to finish, the old man cutting her off.

"You remind me of a young fellow who was here a couple days ago. Little thief came to return the gun he'd stolen from me."

Curly blinked, unsure of how to reply to this. The more she heard about what Quote had been doing while she wasn't around, the more she started to wonder if she had ever really known him. "I…see. It doesn't surprise me now to learn Quote would steal from an old man."

"Is that so? So you do know him?"

Curly nodded. "I thought he was my friend, but now…I'm not so sure."

The old man gestured for Curly to enter his home as he replied. "Ah, I think you judge the boy too harshly. When he came here, there was no hint of malice about him. In fact, he seemed a bit…sad. Apologized for stealing the Polar Star and tried to return it. Of course, I got after him for the fact that he'd taken it in the first place, until I noticed just how well used the weapon was. He helped me realize what I had known all along, so I finished the Spur and let him keep it.

"But I'm sure that's not what you came here for."

"No. There are actually two things I would like to ask of you. First, I'm going to be heading into battle soon, and I'd like my gun to be working at peak efficiency when I do. Would you mind taking a look at it? And also, you are invited to join our battle. I wouldn't expect you to fight, but another weapon smith would be a great help."

The old man reached out a hand as he sat down at his table, pulling a box of tools to his side. "Have a seat, and let me see your weapon. We'll talk while I look at this."

Curly did as asked, passing the Nemesis to the gunsmith. She noticed a small smile cross the old man's face as he saw the gun. "Ah, I remember this weapon. I was commissioned to make two of them."

Curly waited for him to continue as he began to examine the gun, but after several moments of silence it became clear to her that he wasn't going to speak. "Sir?"

The weapon smith grunted. "Call me Tetsuzou."

"Okay, Tetsuzou. I don't mean to rush you, but will you join us?"

Tetsuzou didn't reply right away, putting the finishing touches on the Nemesis' tune up. As he handed the gun back to Curly, he said, "There, it's in perfect working order. Wasn't much wrong with it to begin with."

"Thank you. But, will you-?"

"No." The weapon smith shook his head. "I'm afraid I cannot accept your offer right now. I will think about it and perhaps I will change my mind, but I wouldn't count on it."

Standing, Curly sighed and slid the Nemesis back into its holster. "I understand, but if you change your mind, you'll find us in the labyrinth. Thank you for your time. I won't bother you any longer."

"I'll keep that in mind." Tetsuzou saw her to the door and closed it behind her. She was disappointed, but not really surprised. However, now that her weapon was tuned up, she needed to head back to camp and set off through the narrow cave once more.

X X X

It had taken another several hours for the dragon to reach the island again, landing up on the balcony. The little robot left it to play there as he made his way down into the island's interior, headed for the Mimiga Village. From there, he planned to head to the gunsmith's home to repair the Spur. He wouldn't be much help against the Doctor if his most powerful weapon were broken.

He had just reached the narrow cave that led to the hermit's home and gotten a short ways in when he thought he saw something moving up ahead, something that wasn't one of the monsters usually found within this particular cave. Curious, he headed towards it, drawing his sword just in case. Once he was close enough to see what it was, he stopped short and stared, the sword falling from his hand to clatter upon the stone floor. He continued to stare at her for what seemed like hours, as she stood frozen in shock.

"Curly… You're alive!"

She couldn't believe her eyes. "…Quote?"

He pointed at himself, a questioning look on his face. Curly's eyes widened. "It is you… You…came back…" she breathed.

"My name is Quote?" He still seemed confused.

"Right, you never did get your memory back, did you?"

He shook his head. "Kazuma tried to fix me, but even he couldn't restore my memories."

Curly's expression darkened at the mention of the Sakamoto boy. "What are you doing back here now?"

"I came to help."

"Just like you helped last time?"

Quote looked away, ashamed. "I'm sorry. I made a mistake and now I'm here to help right it."

"Go away."

His head snapped up. "Huh? What?"

"You heard me. We don't need help from cowards."

"I'm not a coward!"

At that, Curly stalked forward, grabbed the other robot by the front of his black shirt and slammed him up against the wall. Her face so close to his their foreheads were touching, his hat pushed back on his head, she snarled, "You ran away. Slipped away under the cover of darkness because you thought the situation was hopeless. If that's not cowardice, then I don't know what is."

Quote's eyes went wide and Curly thought she saw a flicker of fear in them. He was scared of her.

"You left us all here to die without a second thought! How brave was that?" she demanded. "How can we trust you not to run at the slightest hint of danger now?"

"I… But that's not –"

She let go of his shirt, backing off, as the anger seemed to drain from her. "You abandoned me."

"I'm sorry!"

Curly took Quote as much by surprise as she did herself with her first punch. A primal scream of rage tore from her throat as she struck him with enough force to crack a boulder. He fell back, lucky to be built of the same tough material as Curly. If he had been organic, she would have shattered his jaw.

She continued to strike at him as he scrambled backwards, arms raised in front of him to protect himself from her brutal assault. "Curly, stop! Please!" he pleaded.

"Shut up! SHUT UP!" she screamed and continued to attack, using all the strength she could muster from her strong robotic limbs. She landed a hit through his guard that threw him back into the rough stone wall. His head struck with a sound like hard plastic cracking and he slumped, the light in his eyes seemed to dim before they slid shut. His head nodded forward with the soft whir of gears forced to move without power.

Curly stood over Quote's fallen form, heaving with exertion, shocked by what she had done. She knelt down and slapped his face lightly. "Quote?"

When he didn't respond she tried again, this time harder. This also got no reaction, and she began to fear she had killed him. A quick check confirmed that he was still alive, though damaged.

Why did she care, she found herself wondering. It was true; he had abandoned the island, dooming those left behind to this awful fate. She was angry with him for that. No, infuriated. She hated him, hated what he had done. Why should she worry whether he lived or died?

And yet she did. She couldn't help it. As mad as she was about what he had done, somewhere in her subconscious, she still couldn't bear to see him hurt. Grumbling in agitation, she carefully hefted his still form over her shoulder, his arms dangling lifelessly down her back. Picking up his sword, she slid it through her belt for the time being, then scooped up his hat from where it had fallen, pulled it backwards onto her head and began to carry him back towards the base.

X X X

It took Curly longer to get back now that she had Quote's dead weight slowing her down. She hadn't really thought about it before, but now she realized that he was actually more heavily built than she. It went a long way to explaining why she seemed to be more agile.

She was grateful once she reached the base, knowing she would soon be able to put him down again. Moving through the passage was a bit of a trial with him on her shoulder, but she managed. Once inside, she was greeted by the hustle and bustle of an army preparing for battle. Curly allowed herself a small smile. At least the Gaudi hadn't just stopped once she left. It was an encouraging sign.

She noticed that several of the search parties had now returned with those who would agree to join them. Her smile grew when she saw that Dr. Gero and nurse Hasumi were among them. She turned to greet them as they spotted her.

"Is that Quote?" asked Hasumi once she reached Curly's side, recognizing the figure draped across the female robot's shoulder. "I thought he ran away?"

"He came back." Curly's expression became somewhat sheepish. "I kinda knocked him unconscious. Do you think you two could see if he's okay?"

"Of course. Come." Gero and Hasumi led Curly to another cavern where those who wouldn't be expected to fight had begun to set up a hospital, though there weren't many beds yet. As Curly laid Quote's still form down carefully onto one, Hasumi explained how Momorin had suggested the idea shortly after she had arrived, not long before Curly had returned herself.

Gero began to examine the unconscious robot as others started to notice what was going on. The Gaudi seemed indifferent; they didn't really know anything about Quote or Curly, so they couldn't be expected to be upset about something they didn't understand. The more varied reactions were among the surface dwellers that had joined the resistance, and the few mimigas that had either not been picked up yet by the Doctor or had been freed.

It was Sue who took the most violent approach, charging over to the group as soon as she had spotted Quote. "What's going on here?" she demanded. "I thought he left! If he's back, where's my brother? I'll beat him senseless, too!" The girl turned mimiga glared down at the unconscious robot. "And when he comes to, I'll knock him out again for leaving in the first place!"

Curly had to check Sue to keep the girl from attempting to carry out her threat before Quote was even awake. Momorin, attracted by the commotion, joined the group and took over restraining her daughter.

"He came back, I see." Momorin couldn't help smiling despite her next question. "Was Kazuma not with him?"

Curly shrugged. "I didn't see him, sorry. And…I didn't really give Quote much of a chance to explain himself before putting his lights out." She scratched at the back of her neck. Though at the time she had felt completely justified in her outburst, now she felt rather foolish for reacting as she had.

Momorin reached out a hand and brushed a stray strand of hair from Quote's face. "I hope he comes to soon. There are some things I would like to ask him."

"You're not going to yell at him, are you?" Though Curly was still angry at Quote for leaving, she felt she had already punished him enough for his folly.

"No, I'm not angry at him. I know how my son has a way of… manipulating people, even if he didn't mean to. I don't blame Quote for that. I'd just like to know where Kazuma is and if he's alright."

"Well, you might have to wait a while," broke in Gero. "Quote's going to be okay, but I don't know how long he's going to be out for. Could be a few hours, or a few days."

"I guess we'll just have to wait and see," said Curly. "For now, all we can do is prepare for the upcoming battle."

X X X

"Balrog!"

The large box stiffened at the angry call, and turned to face the cranky witch who had called him. "Yeah?"

"Have you noticed anything strange going on lately?" she asked, crossing her arms. Balrog scratched at his head.

"You mean the way everyone seems to be disappearing?" he asked.

"Yes, that's exactly what I mean! How long has this been going on? Why didn't you report it?"

"I didn't think it meant anything."

"Wasn't important!? You idiot!" With that, Misery raised her wand and turned Balrog into a squirrel before warping herself to the Doctor's throne. "My lord, it seems we have some trouble brewing."

Date looked up, scowling. "What sort of trouble?"

"The island's other inhabitants have gone underground. I don't know for certain, but it looks as though there may be some sort of counterattack planned."

The Doctor snorted dismissively. "What could that possibly accomplish against me? But I suppose we should crush this uprising, remove them from my path before proceeded with my plans. Misery."

"Yes, my lord?"

"Go, see if you can find where they're hiding. Once we know where they are, we will send in the mimigas to destroy them."

Misery's face was the picture of sadistic delight. "Yes, my lord!" And with that, she warped away.

X X X

With preparations nearly complete, things had gotten quiet in the hidden caverns. Only a couple hours had passed since Curly had returned with Quote, and the Gaudi were pretty much as ready as they could be for the coming battle. Curly had informed everyone that she didn't plan to start the attack until the next day, so everyone was resting now.

After she saw that everyone had settled down, she headed to the hospital cavern to see how Quote was doing. He still hadn't come to since she had brought him back, and once she reached his side she found nothing had changed. Sighing, she sat on the edge of his bed and fixed him with a dour look for several seconds before turning away and staring at the stone ceiling. "You brought this upon yourself, you know…"

"…Did I?"

Curly started at the quiet voice, and looked back down to Quote. At first he still seemed to be unconscious, but after a moment he opened his eyes and turned his head to look at her, his expression troubled. "I'm sorry, Curly, but… I don't think you understand –"

"No, I understand perfectly," she snapped, cutting him off. "Look, I'm sorry I hurt you. I was angry, and I overreacted. But…after what you did, I can't trust you anymore."

"But I –"

"No buts!" Anger now laced Curly's voice. "There's no good excuse for running away!"

"Ah…" Quote let his sentence trail off into a sigh and looked away. His next words were barely a whisper. "You're right. I should never have left…"

Curly didn't get a chance to reply as Sue's voice broke into the conversation. "He's awake? Let me at him!"

Curly intercepted the raging ball of fluff as she tried to attack Quote, flailing her paws as though one of her strikes might magically make contact. She couldn't help noticing the look of dismay that crossed his face at the sight of Sue, and it made her wonder what it meant.

Momorin arrived a moment later, drawn by the angry cries of her daughter. "Sue, what are you doing?"

"Aw, mom, can't I even just cuff him once? Please? He deserves it for deserting!"

Momorin shook her head. "No, Sue. It's not your place to decide his punishment. Now go to bed."

"Do I have to?"

"Yes."

Grumbling, Sue stalked away from the group, throwing dark looks over her shoulder at Quote until she disappeared from sight. Momorin just shook her head. "I'm sorry about that."

"It's okay," replied Curly. She turned back to Quote to find he was watching Momorin carefully, distraught and clearly uncomfortable in her presence. Something was definitely wrong.

"Quote?" Momorin had also noticed, but she had to ask her question, not realizing it was the thing the little robot dreaded most. "Where is my son? Why is Kazuma not with you?"

"I…" Quote couldn't meet her gaze. "I'm sorry. There… there was nothing I could do…"

"Do you mean…?"

Quote's nod was almost imperceptible. "It was a frenzied mimiga. It's all my fault… If I hadn't left, this never would have happened. I'm so sorry…" He refused to look at anyone, rolling onto his side so he would face away from the two. Curly could see that his failure was truly hurting him. It really was all his own fault, but she couldn't help feeling a little sorry for him.

Momorin was a tough woman, but the news of the loss of her only son had clearly upset her. She tried to put on a brave face, but it was plain to Curly that she would be unable to hold it for much longer. "I… Thank you…" With that, she excused herself and left.

For several moments, neither Quote nor Curly spoke. Quote had rolled into a miserable little ball, unwilling to face anyone. He had caused too much trouble for too many people, and though he knew he didn't deserve another chance, he broke the silence to ask anyway. "Curly?"

"What?"

"I… I'll leave if you tell me to… but … could I please stay? I want to make amends for my mistakes."

She didn't reply right away, considering his request. Her first impulse was to flat out refuse, but she wasn't sure if it would be fair to deny him the chance to atone just because she was angry with him. In the end, it was the need for as many willing fighters as possible that won out.

"You can stay and help. Just don't get in my way."


	5. Confrontations

Author's note/Disclaimer: I don't own Cave Story; I just enjoy messing with the heads of the characters from it. Tee hee hee! Praise Pixel! Whee! 

Didn't think I'd get this far, did you? Well, I'll have you know I plan to finish this story! Oh yes! And you'll read it, right? Sure you will. Off you go now to do so. And many thanks to Black Waltz 0 for helping me make the battle at the end not suck. Tee hee.

Chapter 4- Confrontations

Curly found that she was too antsy to be able to go into a sleep cycle that night. She knew that if everything continued as it had been, they would all be swept up in battle come day. She wasn't really sure if she was ready to lead this band of strangers to war.

Most of the cave was asleep as she wandered around, restless, yet she wasn't the only one who was still awake. Quote, once Gero and Hasumi had allowed him to actually get out of bed, had found a secluded corner and tucked himself into it. He had stayed there ever since. No one wanted anything to do with him, but that suited him fine. He didn't feel much like company.

"What are you doing?" Curly asked, standing over him with her arms crossed. He didn't bother to look up, and it almost seemed as though he wasn't even going to reply.

"What does it look like?" he said at last, but there was no tone to his voice. Curly couldn't tell if he was angry, sad or feeling anything at all. She resisted the sudden urge to sit with him, and continued to stand over him.

"Are you prepared to fight?"

"As ready as I'll ever be with the Spur broken."

Curly blinked as she realised the answer to a question she hadn't even thought to ask. "Is that why you were in Tetsuzou's cave?"

Quote nodded, and continued to stare at the dusty floor. "I was going to get it fixed, but then I ran into you."

Silence fell as Quote went back to sulking. Curly couldn't understand the way she felt at this news. She had spent all her time being angry at Quote, making everything that had gone wrong his fault, that she hadn't stopped to wonder whether or not she was being fair. She had gotten in his way this time, and though she would have thought it would make her feel things were more even for it, she only found she felt bad, and the sentiment annoyed her.

"Get up," she said finally. Quote just looked up; fixing Curly with a blank stare, shaking his head so slightly it was hardly noticeable. Curly scowled, reached down, took him by the wrist and pulled him to his feet. "I said get up. We're going to see the gunsmith."

Quote blinked, obviously started. He hadn't known what to expect, but this certainly hadn't been it. Curly didn't release his wrist, and continued to glare at him. "If you're going to help, you have to stop feeling sorry for yourself and be ready, okay?"

"I understand…" Despite what he said though, Quote still didn't seem very sure of himself. Curly wasn't sure what it was, but something about Quote was different. He just hadn't been the same as before ever since he had returned. It was almost as though his fighting spirit had left him. She knew something needed to be done about it if he were going to be able to help in the coming battle, but she was torn between the urge to help and a mean sense of glee over his weakness.

"Well, let's get going. I want to see if we can get there and back before everyone else wakes up."

Quote arched an eyebrow at her. "Shouldn't you let someone know we're leaving?"

"You know, normally I would say yes, and I know it's very irresponsible of me not to, but," and Curly fixed him with a mischievous grin, "I haven't had any fun since you left. And if we get caught, I'll just blame it on you."

Quote dropped his eyes to the floor, scowling but backing down. "Fine. Let's just get this over with." With that he knelt down, grabbed up the Spur from where it had been lying on the floor and followed Curly, who was already heading for the exit.

No one else seemed to be around to stop the two robots from sneaking out, but Curly was still careful, checking to make sure no one was watching as they headed into the trail leading back into the main labyrinth chamber. Neither of them spoke as they made their way to the teleporter, quickly warping to the mimiga village. It wasn't until they reached the gunsmith's cave and were headed for his home that Quote broke the silence.

"Curly, can I… can we talk?"

She stopped walking and turned towards him. "What?"

There was no snap in her voice, but Quote still drew back, and it was several seconds before he spoke again. "I'm not trying to make excuses, I just want you to know why I decided to leave."

"This should be good. Let's hear it."

"It's hard for me to explain, but…when I thought you were dead, something happened to me. I couldn't fight anymore. I mean, I could fight, but my spirit just wasn't in it, you know? …And Kazuma… his argument for leaving just seemed so…" Quote trailed off and shrugged miserably. "It was a mistake for me to listen to him. I'm certain, though, that had I gone up against the Doctor without learning the truth, I would have failed…"

He fell silent, watching Curly for her reaction. He had told her the truth, but he didn't expect that to get him off the hook. In fact, after he had taken the time to think about it, he could see just how foolish he had really been.

"So what's your problem now? You know I'm alive, yet I can tell you haven't gotten that spark back," Curly replied after several moments. He shrugged again.

"I don't know, and I don't know how to fix it."

"Well, you'd better figure it out soon, because you won't be much help to me like this." She turned and, without another word, began to walk away, continuing on towards the gunsmith's home. Quote watched her go until she was a ways down the cave before kicking the ground angrily and running to catch up.

Together they approached the large cat statue that marked the door to the gunsmith's house, and Curly reached out a hand and knocked. She was surprised when it was answered almost immediately, the door swinging open to allow the old man to peer outside. "I was wondering when you would be back," he said, "going to try to convince me to join you again?"

Curly shook her head and moved aside so Tetsuzou could see Quote. "He needs to get a weapon fixed."

Tetsuzou looked surprised. "I thought you said he ran away?"

Curly rolled her eyes. She was sick of answering questions about Quote. "Well, he's back and somehow he managed to break the Spur."

Quote wilted under the gunsmith's glare. "How?"

Quote had trouble telling the story of the Mimiga attack that had claimed Kazuma's life and broken his best weapon. It was the first time Curly had heard the story in more detail, and even though Quote was leaving things out that had little to do with the broken weapon, she was getting a clearer picture of what had happened to bring him back to the island. She still couldn't forgive him though, despite knowing the hell he had gone through, since she still knew he had brought it all down on himself.

"Hmm…okay, where's the weapon?" replied Tetsuzou after considering Quote's story. The little robot handed the Spur over and the old man headed to his worktable, pulling out his tools before setting to work. Nobody said anything for several minutes; the only sound that of the gunsmith's tools clinking against the Spur.

Tetsuzou broke the uncomfortable silence after almost half an hour. "There. I couldn't fix the broken parts, but they've all been replaced. It should work now. Give it a try."

The old man passed the weapon to Quote and pointed to a cave wall scored by weapon blasts. The little robot aimed the Spur at the testing wall and fired it several times, each time with a varying charge, and each time a bright white laser of varying size cut through the air and sliced into the wall. Curly couldn't help noticing the small smile crossing Tetsuzou's face as he saw his creation back in working order.

"Um…it works," said Quote, not entirely sure what to say. Since everyone seemed to be upset with him lately, he was reluctant to say much, fearing he would just make it worse. Unfortunately for him, it didn't prevent Curly from snapping at him anyway.

"Good. Then we've gotta get back." Turning to Tetsuzou, she inclined her head slightly, her tone softening. "Thank you once more."

The old man didn't reply, merely nodding back as Curly took Quote by the wrist and pulled him roughly from the cave after saying goodbye.

"There, your weapon is fixed. Are you going to be able to fight now?" she asked once the two had reached Arthur's house.

Quote gave her a look of reproach. "Look, thank you for helping me get the Spur fixed, but –"

"But what? I'm not the one with the problem here, you are. If that doesn't change…" She trailed off, assuming Quote could figure out where she was going on his own.

He stared at her for several moments, unable to think of a reply to that. It almost looked as though he had finally come up with something, when he decided not to bother, brushed past Curly and warped back to the labyrinth.

She narrowed her eyes and followed after him, catching up just as he was reaching the door leading back into the main cave. Grabbing his shoulder, she spun him around so they were face to face. "Just what is with you? What is with your attitude?"

"You've done nothing but antagonize me since I've returned, and you have the nerve to ask me that?!" he demanded. "I know I messed up, you don't have to keep rubbing it in! You're acting like you think I did this on purpose just to hurt you, or something!"

"You have no idea…"

"Then why don't you tell me so I will!"

Quote wasn't prepared for Curly's reply. In fact, he hadn't really expected her to even respond, half expecting her to tell him that if he didn't know she wasn't going to tell him.

"I had to kill Semi because of you!"

Quote felt like he had been punched in the gut. Though he hadn't known Curly's children for long, he knew how much she had cared for the four adopted mimigas. The Doctor's taking of them had spurred the female robot back into action after ten years of inactivity, though she had never managed to find out what had come of them as far as Quote had known. Now he knew what had come of the youngest, and he knew her fate had also been his fault.

"Curly… I …I'm sorry…"

"Yeah, well, you should have thought of that before you left!"

Quote couldn't face Curly, and though he wanted to defend himself, to tell her that he couldn't possibly be held accountable for everything his decision could possibly cause, he couldn't bring himself to speak. He just couldn't find the words, his emotions a confused jumble. All he could be certain of was that though he was angry, guilt kept him cowed.

It was Curly who brought the confrontation to a close. "We need to get back," she said brusquely. "Let's go." She didn't wait for him to reply and went in through the door. Quote followed, still holding his tongue.

He bumped into Curly as he came through. The female robot had noticed something up ahead, and had paused to see what it was. She shushed Quote and pulled him down, pointing towards what she had seen. Remaining silent, he looked in the direction she had indicated.

Not far ahead, Misery could be seen, searching the cave, trying to find Curly and her army. The witch seemed frustrated and Curly took that as a good sign that Misery had yet found nothing.

"What are we going to do?" whispered Quote. "Do we attack?"

Curly didn't reply right away, continuing to watch the witch as she considered her options. As she thought, Misery moved on deeper into the labyrinth. "No," she replied finally. "If we attacked now, we could give away our hiding place. Let's wait until she's far enough away and head in while she's not looking."

Quote nodded, and the two robots remained as they were until Misery had passed out of range of their vision. Once Curly felt it was safe, she motioned for Quote to follow her and the two carefully made their way to the secret entrance and slipped inside. It wasn't until they were back inside for several moments without event that they allowed themselves to relax, fairly certain they hadn't been seen.

With a quick look around, Curly could see that nothing had changed; everyone still appeared to be sleeping. It made her feel better knowing they hadn't got caught. Despite what she had told Quote before they had left, she had really felt bad about abandoning her post. If something had happened while she was away, if Misery had located the hideaway, there could have been serious trouble. It would have been all her fault, and that would have made her no better than Quote.

As for Quote himself; he had slunk away, quietly going back to his corner. He was determined to fight in the upcoming battle, but he just didn't feel very confident about it. A random thought crossed his mind, how Curly would probably be quite happy to find him destroyed on the battlefield, and he couldn't help a grim, humourless laugh. She would probably be better off without him, anyway.

He would never have thought that a robot could harbour suicidal tendencies; it would be pointless to build a machine to fight just so it could destroy itself and yet, he knew he was teetering dangerously on that edge. He had screwed up everything so badly in the last several days, and everyone seemed to hate him now. Curly wouldn't leave him alone, constantly abusing him. He felt certain that if she didn't let up soon, he would just off himself and get it over with.

Quote turned the Spur over in his hands, studying the deadly metal instrument. He hadn't had the weapon for very long, and he had already killed a friend with it. He had been responsible for so much pain, suffering and death…

Lifting the weapon slowly, he pushed it against his temple. He didn't even know for sure if he would hit anything vital to his system if he fired now, but it was awfully tempting to pull the trigger to find out.

He wasn't really sure how long he sat there, his best weapon held against his head. Would it hurt if he shot himself? Would he even notice? Or would he just shut down instantaneously, never to activate again?

With a quiet clink of metal on metal, Quote lowered the Spur again. It was too soon for him to take the easy way out. He still had much he needed to repay.

X X X

It wasn't long before others began to stir, the cave coming alive once more. Soon, the whole cavern was filled with the sounds of people moving about and talking quietly. It was then that Curly went into action. Gathering everyone who was fighting into one of the larger offshoot caves she began to speak. "Listen up everyone. We're moving TODAY. Get ready and gather back here. You have half an hour. Go."

The Gaudi sprung into action, those who used them gathering up their weapons and armour, and as they were busy, Curly moved off to talk to doctor Gero and nurse Hasumi. While the Gaudi had spent the last day or so equipping as many of their unarmed fighters with armour and bladed throwing weapons, the two, along with the Sakamoto's, had spent their time preparing the makeshift hospital in anticipation of the wounded that would certainly be coming back from battle. It wasn't much to look at, but it was serviceable, though short on beds. Hasumi and Gero had done the best they could with the portable beds they and the Gaudi team who had collected them brought back, but Curly could see that it would probably not be enough.

"How are you doing? Do you think you'll be ready for us when we return?" She felt she should ask, though she could see for herself that they were seriously low on supplies.

Hasumi and Gero exchanged glances before Hasumi turned a somewhat nervous grin to Curly. "We're as ready as we can be. I don't know what we'll do if we run out of space, but we've got lots of help from the Sakamotos and a few others who aren't fighting."

Curly nodded. "That's good to hear. I'll do my best not to make much work for you. And when we return, we'll bring back as many supplies as we can get, okay?"

As she, Hasumi and Gero continued to discuss the situation, Quote left his corner and approached the group. He had thought of something and wanted now to see what Curly thought of it. "Curly?" he said quietly, trying to get her attention without getting yelled at. He was lucky, Curly turning to him slowly, merely scowling.

"Yes?" she asked, but with no bite to her tone.

Hasumi and Gero moved off to get back to work as Quote and Curly began to talk. "I was thinking for the last little while," said Quote. "If you tried to march a whole army out of here while Misery is looking for us, there's little chance of you getting out without her locating this place…"

"I know. It's been bugging me, but I can't think of a plausible way to deal with it. We may just have to take that risk," Curly replied.

Quote shook his head. "No, we won't, if you let me go out to distract her while you move the army."

"No. No way. Our force is small enough all ready, we can't afford to lose even one man."

"But we can't afford to compromise this base either, Curly. Please, let me do this."

"Quote, I hate to say this, but you're really the best fighter we have. I need you out there."

"You said it yourself, my fighting spirit is gone. Against the Doctor, I'd be little help. But I can do this."

Curly didn't reply, thinking over what he had said. It was true, in the condition he was in, he really wouldn't be that helpful, but if he were to occupy Misery so she wouldn't find the base then at least he had accomplished something useful. There was a big chance he might not return, however. She was still angry with him, but something inside her wouldn't let her send him on a suicide mission on purpose.

"I can't let you do this," she said at last.

"I'm ready for it, Curly. I'm aware of the fact that I'll probably get killed. I don't care. And I know you wouldn't either… You know what? Don't try to stop me; I'm doing this whether you want me to or not."

Curly sighed, and Quote paused as he was beginning to turn to leave. "Okay, fine. You've got this mission. Don't screw it up."

Quote flashed Curly his first genuine grin since she could remember. "I won't. You'll see. Just let me know when you want to leave."

"We'll be moving in about fifteen minutes. If you're going to do this, you'd better go now."

"Right. I'm ready."

Curly wasn't sure what it was, but something about the way Quote had been acting since they had returned from the gunsmith's place had been so odd, she couldn't help but wonder if something had gone wrong with him. "Are you okay?"

He blinked. "Yeah, I'm fine. Why?"

"…Never mind. I'll see you off?"

He just nodded and the two went back to the path heading out. They spent the short trip in silence. Curly paused shortly before the exit, stopping Quote from continuing. "Look," she said, "you be careful, okay? You won't be much help later if you get yourself killed now."

Quote lifted the Spur to a battle ready position. "I'll be okay."

"If you're sure, then get going." Curly gave him a light push towards the exit. He didn't reply, or even look back as he moved on. Taking care to make sure no one on the other end could see him, he slunk out into the main labyrinth chamber once more. With a quick glance around, he could see that Misery was nowhere to be seen. He hoped he could find her soon, so he would know for sure that she was distracted while Curly moved the army. He would feel better knowing that his contribution was actually useful.

Since he couldn't see the witch anywhere, he headed off in the last direction he had seen her in. She could be anywhere on the island, he knew, but he hoped she hadn't gone far.

X X X

Curly headed back to the cave where she had made the initial announcement for battle. Now, with only minutes before go time, almost all of Curly's force had gathered. As she prepared to speak, Jenka approached, coming to stand next to the female robot.

"I can see that your army is prepared, but are you?" she asked.

"I have to be. The Doctor has to be stopped, and this is probably the last chance we have to do it," replied Curly.

"Good answer," said Jenka, nodding. "Though there is something I wanted to ask you."

"What's that?"

"Where has Quote gone?"

Curly, rather sheepishly, explained quickly about how she and Quote had slipped off to the gunsmith's house, and how they had spotted Misery on the way back. She told Jenka how Quote had decided to go out to divert the witch so she wouldn't find the hideout.

"That was very irresponsible of you," was all Jenka said, once Curly had finished.

"I know, but now we know that the Doctor knows about us. We have to be careful with our comings and goings."

"Mmm." The old witch continued to stand next to Curly. "You have made an important discovery, it's true, but you were still acting irresponsibly. I suppose I should say that I saw you and Quote leaving, and I saw you when you returned."

Curly was surprised. "You won't tell anyone else, will you?"

"No, I'll keep your secret. But you have to start taking responsibly for your actions. The lives of all these fighters are in your hands. There's no room for impulse."

"I know. I won't make the same mistake twice."

"Good." With that, Jenka left Curly's side and headed back to her spot in the gathered crowd. The time had come at last for the battle to begin.

Stepping forward, Curly gained the attention of the crowd before she began to speak. "Is everyone here?" She didn't really wait for a reply before continuing. "I hope you're ready because we move now. I can't tell you what will happen, because I don't know, but I can tell you that we're going to meet it head on and cause as much damage as possible."

Again, Curly's speech didn't really gather any cheers, the Gaudi fighters watching her much as they had the first time she had tried to address them. "You aren't here to listen to me talk, so let's go."

She held up her Nemesis and fell to the head of the army, leading them to the pathway back to the main labyrinth chamber. She headed out first, scouting to make sure the way was clear, and once she was certain there was no one watching, she had the force move two at a time from the hideout to the teleporter room. It would be quicker to reach the plantation by using them instead of climbing the outer wall.

It didn't take as long as Curly would have hoped to move the force, the number of battle ready and willing individuals woefully small, but she tried not to focus on that as she followed through to meet up with them at Arthur's house. Once there, she quickly set the teleporter's destination to the plantation and began again to move towards what she hoped would be the final confrontation with the Doctor.

X X X

Quote had been searching for Misery since leaving the hideout, but he had yet to find her. He had made it as far as the first room where the witch had thrown him, but there was still no sign of her. He hoped that she hadn't found Curly instead.

He wasn't really sure what he was going to do if he did find Misery. Though he had his Spur, he had no way of knowing if that would be enough. He was determined to fight, but he had a feeling that he wouldn't be able to do much. At the very least, he hoped to hold the witch off long enough for Curly to safely get where she was going without being discovered. It would be enough if he could accomplish that much before being destroyed.

There wasn't anywhere else Quote could go from here but up, so he started to climb, using the booster he still had to get up much easier than the first time. He was about halfway to the top when he heard someone laugh. Pausing on the overhang he had just reached, he pulled the Spur from its holster and glanced towards the sound.

Misery drifted gently down from above to alight upon an outcropping just above where Quote was standing. She seemed mildly surprised to see him. "So, you have returned. I'd heard you'd run off with that human boy." Her voice was haughty, biting, and Quote flinched at the barb. "I suppose you've been sent to stop me?"

"You could say that," replied Quote. He wasn't going to tell her what his real mission was; it could give the whole game away.

Misery raised an eyebrow at the little robot, chuckling. "Are you trying to protect something now? That's amusing, considering."

"Shut up…" The words came as more of a harsh croak, the witch's taunting getting to Quote. He fell into a battle ready stance, trying to clear his mind of the anger and guilt building inside him, knowing it would affect his ability to fight. He found it more difficult than he would have thought to control his emotions, but he didn't really care.

Misery, reacting to the little robot's actions, raised her staff in preparation for battle. "If you're going to fight me, then let's go." She made the first move, rising back into the air as she opened her offensive with a bolt of lightning.

Quote dodged the strike by jumping into the air, using his booster to propel himself backwards and out of range. Still in the air, he trained his Spur on the witch and let off a quick volley.

Misery avoided the little robot's attack, quickly teleporting a short distance behind him before lashing out with her staff. Catching Quote by surprise while he was still aloft, her attack was enough to cause him to fall.

For a split second, Quote was terrified. Despite the fact that he was expecting to die on this mission, he hadn't expected it so soon. The sensation only lasted for that brief moment before his electronic brain reminded him that he could withstand falls from much higher heights. He began to focus on catching himself, and with the remaining charge from the booster, he managed to land safely on another outcropping only several feet from the cave floor.

There was a pause in the fighting, Misery dropping down once more on an overhang above him. "Is that really the best you can do? Your friend fought better than this, she was actually able to hit me."

Her comments stung, and Quote could feel himself growing all the more angry. He replied to the witch's words by firing off another quick round of blasts. Misery merely scoffed, and repeated her earlier trick, catching the little robot off guard once more. This time her strike was enough to knock him from his perch and to the floor.

Again, Misery paused in her assault to heckle Quote. "Falling for the same trick twice? Did they not program you to learn from your mistakes?" she said as he picked himself up from the dusty floor. He hadn't had enough time to catch himself with the booster this time around.

He narrowed his eyes up at the witch, and fully intended to strike back again before he noticed that he had dropped his weapon. With a cursory glance around, he couldn't locate it, and it was at this point that he really started to feel scared. Misery had also noticed his lack of weaponry, and grinned.

"So, it seems that this… battle is over, such as it was."

X X X

Curly and her force had just reached the upper levels of the plantation when she began to wonder just how she was going to get them through the last cave to the balcony. She had been so focused on her desire to get to the Doctor that she had failed to consider the physical limitations of the Gaudi into her plan. She didn't let on about it however, hoping she would come up with something once they got there.

As it turned out, it wasn't going to matter. Before the small army could reach the rocket, the only way to get to the entrance to the last cave, Curly spotted another group coming towards them. She scowled when she saw who was leading them.

Balrog and fifteen frenzied Mimigas followed the Doctor. Though Curly's force was large by comparison, she knew they would be no match for so many raging mimigas. What she really wanted to know, however, was how the Doctor knew they were going to be there. It was possible that he didn't, and this meeting was a coincidence, but it could also mean that Quote had been unable to stop Misery. If the witch knew about the base…

There was no time to worry about that, though. Curly had to decide now if they were to continue with the attack, or withdraw. The chances for success seemed slim, but in the end, she didn't have much choice in the matter. The Doctor's army fell upon the Gaudi with a fierceness the female robot had never seen before. In an instant, the ground was already red with blood.

"Try not kill the mimigas!" was all she had time to shout before she was set upon by one of the frenzied creatures herself. She did her best to follow her own advice, but she knew from experience that it would take a lot to bring down a maddened mimiga without killing it.

She didn't recognize the mimiga that was attacking her, but it was different from all the others. Its fur was a ragged purple shade instead of the normal white. It was fairly certain to her that it was dyed, but it was still strange. She had to fight, though. There was no other way.

As she fought with the mimiga, she could see battles raging all around her, but she didn't have the time to focus on them. The crazed purple monster before her seemed to be aiming for her specifically, its attention only diverting to other soldiers when they came too close.

As Curly battled with the odd coloured mimiga, her Gaudi forces were busy trying to hold off the rest, as well as Balrog. The boxy creature was causing damage, hopping around, squashing any Gaudi unlucky enough to be below him as he landed. The crack of a Gaudi shell being broken was a horrible sound.

Curly was taken off guard when the mimiga she was fighting grabbed an unfortunate Gaudi who had come too close, lifted it from the ground and swung it at her like a club. She was thrown back, bowling over several other Gaudis who had been keeping yet another mimiga at bay, knocking them all to the ground in a heap. The mimiga tossed its weapon away, the unfortunate beetle like creature smacking into a wall with the crunch of breaking shell.

Scrambling to her feet again, the female robot continued her attack on the strangely coloured beast. She didn't have time to worry about the Gaudi she had bowled into, but she didn't have to. They were well-trained fighters, and were able to regain their feet quickly, setting back to battle.

The whole conflict didn't last much longer than fifteen minutes before Curly knew they had no chance to win. She had only just managed to somehow stun the mimiga that had been attacking her by that time, her group of fighters being systematically wiped out by the Doctor's superior power.

The Doctor didn't actually fight, hanging to the back while controlling the mimigas, making sure they would only attack Curly's force, and not each other. He may have been a cruel, sadistic bastard, but he wasn't stupid.

It was the hardest thing Curly ever had to do to call the retreat, but she knew it had to be done. She couldn't afford to lose any more fighters. "Retreat!" she cried. "Retreat! Save who you can and retreat!"

It was difficult to tell the wounded from the dead. The ground was awash with blood, some mimiga, though mostly Gaudi. Bodies littered the floor as the fighting raged on, but the large beetles were already grabbing those who were still alive and heading back the way they had come, towards the teleporter. Of the mimigas, only three or four had actually reverted, and she could see the others taking them from the battlefield as they withdrew. She lifted the fluffy purple creature before her and passed her off to a passing Gaudi, as she remained to oversee the retreat.

She remained in the thick of the fighting, shouting out orders to aid in the withdrawal. It wasn't pretty, but it didn't take as long as Curly figured for her force to clear out. What did surprise her was that the Doctor didn't bother to chase the retreating army. It was a lucky stroke, but she couldn't figure out the Doctor's intentions. All it did was reinforce the idea that Quote had failed, and now Date knew where to find them anyway.

Date had the raging mimigas fall back; Curly was too busy worrying about her own people to notice where they and Balrog had gone. She didn't really care, though. She just wanted to get back to the hideout and begin to regroup. She was careful not to turn her back to the Doctor as she tried to slink away with the rest of her people.

She didn't get far before she heard the voice of the Doctor, however. "Where are you going? Aren't you going to help your children?"

Curly froze, and gritted her teeth. She knew it would be stupid to focus on how evil he could be to use her children this way, considering he had done it before. Instead, she had to quickly decide what to do. Was the Doctor's threat for real, or was he just trying to draw her out? If he wasn't bluffing, could she abandon her children to keep her army safe? If she ignored him, maybe the Doctor wouldn't hurt the kids.

In the end, her maternal instincts won out and she stepped forward from the shadows to face Date. Balrog had reappeared, the boxy creature leading two of her children. Curly couldn't be sure if the Doctor knew what he was doing, considering the order which he was using them, the two mimigas he was now bringing out her middle children. Asterisk and Hyphen were twin boys, only two or three years older than Semi had been.

The two, seeing their mother, tried to run to her but Balrog jumped over them to land in front, halting their advance. Curly had been running to meet them and was forced to skid to a stop to avoid being crushed, and ended up staring straight into Balrog's almost apologetic face. She scowled at him, and he backed up slightly.

The Doctor, using the powers granted him by the Demon Crown, began to levitate the twin mimigas. The two squirmed in the air, trying to fight the Doctor's hold.

"Run, mamma! Don't let him take advantage of the situation!" Asterisk shouted. Hyphen was trying uselessly to hold back tears of fear. He had never been as brave as his brother.

However, Curly couldn't run. She couldn't abandon her children. She glared up at the Doctor. "You bastard…"

X X X

Quote recoiled from the lightning, shaking his head in an attempt to clear it of the resulting static charge. Misery wasn't giving him any quarter, calling down bolt after bolt as the little robot scrambled to get away. Without a weapon, he stood little chance of defeating the witch, and though he was expecting to be defeated, he wasn't going to make it easy for her.

The little robot continued to scrabble for his life, trying to find the Spur so he could fight back. There weren't many places it could be, so he was certain he could find it, if only he could avoid Misery's attacks. The witch, however, wasn't giving him much chance to look.

Misery laughed as she continued to throw spell after spell at Quote, watching him run for his life. She was toying with him before killing him, knowing he stood no chance against her without a weapon.

Another bolt struck the ground, coming within an inch of Quote's face, and it blew him backwards through the air. He hit the wall back first and slid to the ground, temporarily disoriented. He was spared only because Misery wasn't finished playing with him yet, but as it turned out, that was what saved him in the end.

As he was picking himself up, he saw something gleaming on the ground, but before he could grab it, Misery stepped over him. "I knew you couldn't defeat me, but I was expecting a bit more than that."

As Quote replied, he was also busy trying to find a way to get past the witch to grab his weapon. "Sorry to disappoint you…"

Misery scoffed and floated into the air, preparing another spell. "I'll make this quick. I have more important things to do than play with you."

This was the chance Quote was looking for. Just as the witch woman unleashed her spell, he rolled away from the blast and towards the fallen Spur. Grabbing it up, he took quick aim and fired off several shots. Misery had no time to dodge, and they all slammed into her stomach, bringing her down to earth once more, her expression radiating pain and anger. The little robot continued to train his weapon at her; though it seemed obvious he had won the fight. It looked as if he still had the ability to fight.

Curly may no longer believe in him, Quote reflected, but he had come here to help and that's just what he was going to do. He wouldn't let the witch find the hidden base.

She stood, glaring at him, leaning heavily on her staff. "You are more trouble than I care to contend with." A slow, cruel smile crossed her face. "And I know just how to deal with you. I don't know why I didn't think of this sooner."

Quote stood his ground. He wasn't afraid of Misery, but her smile was unnerving. Her body and rod began to crackle with magical energy; Quote, recognizing the beginning of a spell, steeled himself for the results, though he had no idea what they would be.

"Rarrgh!" Misery raised her staff, and before Quote realized what was happening, before he could dodge, she levelled it at him. White light shot from its tip, enveloping the little robot before he had the chance to move.

Quote swung his arms, as though attempting to brush the magic from his form, causing Misery to laugh. She floated into the air, her wounds not as serious as they had first seemed. "I hope you enjoy my _gift,_" she sneered, then teleported away, her laughter continuing to echo away through the cave.

Quote's sensors were overwhelmed by the magic, he could see and hear naught beyond the crackling white energy. He couldn't process what was happening to him, and continued to flail uselessly, trying to dispel the light before it could accomplish its task.

At first, it seemed to do nothing other than trap him within white oblivion before a sudden prickling sensation, something Quote had never felt before, washed over him. He screamed suddenly, as the prickling gave way to pain more intense than anything the little robot had ever felt before.

He fell to his knees, clutching his stomach and continued to scream, his eyes squeezed shut, tears welling in the corners and sliding down his face. He felt hot, too hot, but he could do nothing to stop his systems from overheating. His senses seemed to dim, all but one, and that one continued to torment him.

_Pain… It hurts… Make it stop…!_

He flopped onto his side, curling into a trembling ball, his screams fading into sobs as the light and pain finally died away. His senses still seemed to be muted or missing altogether, all but one that, oddly, felt heightened.

His body felt strange, not like his own, and he whimpered, scared, confused and alone. He drew a shaky breath, and started to cough, choking on the dust and dirt in the air. The reaction just served to startle and scare him more, as he had never coughed before. Foreign elements in the air had never been a problem to him in the past. He shivered; another action new to him, as he realized just how damp and cold the air was within the cave. Temperature had also never bothered him before.

Quote stood unsteadily, his legs uncooperative. Just how much damage had the witch caused, he wondered as he looked around, almost blind in the dim phosphorescent light, his eyes not functioning as they had used to. He had no time to dwell on his situation, though. He wasn't safe here; he had to get back, though he wasn't sure how he was going to do that, now that most of his systems seemed to be malfunctioning.

His steps shaky, he headed towards the outpost.

X X X

"Do you want a repeat of what happened last time?"

Curly tightened her grip on the Nemesis. "There's no way I'll let that happen again!"

The Doctor just laughed, producing two red flowers. Bringing the children to him, he forced the two to eat them, despite their attempts to keep their mouths shut. Date dropped the two boys back to the ground once he knew they had swallowed the blooms.

Curly was angry, but this time around, she didn't go completely berserk. She knew she had to stay calm if she wanted Asterisk and Hyphen to live. No longer paying attention to the Doctor and Balrog, she focused on the changing children. She didn't even notice when the two left, Date certain that, even if the two didn't kill Curly outright, the results of the fight would leave her too broken in body and mind to continue her assault.

The two mimigas, not under the Doctor's control anymore, didn't turn immediately to focus on the little robot before them. She hadn't drawn their attention, so they had yet to notice her. Curly had never encountered more than one frenzied mimiga at a time before without the Doctor controlling them, and now the two murderous creatures before her, though they were brothers, turned on each other.

Curly was stunned, watching them tearing and biting at each other. It was true that, over the years, her children had fought with each other, sometimes hurting each other, but it was nothing like this. White fur flew and blood splashed everywhere. She knew she had to stop them from attacking each other or they could kill each other.

It was a dangerous move on her part, but Curly leapt between the two monsters, firing the Nemesis wildly, drawing their attention away from each other and to her. Now that she had it however, she had to find a way to keep it without being destroyed.

One of the raging mimigas lunged for her; she didn't know which. She could no longer tell them apart in their frenzied forms. She rolled under the strike, sending a blast across the beast's arm. She knew that the damage done to a mimiga in this state was much worse when they reverted and this time, she was determined to bring her children home alive. She had to be patient, and wait for them to revert without hurting them too badly. It was easier said than done.

The battle seemed to last hours, though Curly knew only several minutes had gone by, neither side being able to touch the other, though that's what she had been aiming for. There was a frightening moment when her two crazed children seemed to loose interest in her and began to turn on each other again. They both managed to score deep, ugly wounds on each other before Curly was able to break them up again.

It was another several moments of dodging attacks before one of the mimigas managed to cuff Curly, throwing her into a wall. She didn't have time to pick herself up before the two set upon her, ripping and slashing. For a brief moment, Curly thought she was going to die, but luck was on her side. Their energy spent, the two raging beasts backed off, blinking in confusion before reverting and collapsing, unconscious, to the floor.

Curly stood slowly, quickly gauging the damage she had received and judging it to be not serious. Then she turned her attention to Hyphen and Asterisk. The two boys were still alive, and though wounded, the injuries weren't life threatening. Curly was overjoyed with this revelation, but she knew they couldn't stay here. Carefully lifting the two children from the ground, she headed back.

X X X

Dr. Gero moved onto the next patient, tending the injuries as best he could in a short time. There were more wounded than he had time to properly treat even with Hasumi's help, Curly's attack on the Doctor's throne ending in spectacular failure, though they had managed to liberate several of the frenzied mimigas. Curly herself had arrived back almost half an hour after the rest of the army, two young mimigas in her arms. Hasumi had helped her set up a room for the boys in another cave as Curly explained who they were, and now, after their wounds had been treated, the female robot was watching over them as they slept. Neither Hyphen nor Asterisk had awoken since Curly brought them back.

Gero was about to move on to the next bed when he heard a trembling voice call for help. Looking up, he saw Quote staggering down the rows of beds. He seemed hardly able to support himself without assistance, though at first glance he looked undamaged.

Quote managed to take another couple steps before collapsing. Gero ran to his side, Hasumi arriving not long after, and both noticed at once now that they were closer the changes Misery's spell had caused. The antennae that had once been in place where Gero would have expected ears were gone. He didn't know if they were removable or not, but it didn't matter. Human ears were visible in the place where they had been.

Quote groaned, curling up into a trembling ball, his breathing laboured, as Gero continued to examine him. Quote's skin, which was usually a shade of grey so soft it bordered on white, was supposed to be made of a plastic or rubber material that just resembled human flesh, warm only because of the machinery working beneath it. But now, though he was still pale, it was a pallid flesh tone, and he was burning hot to the touch.

Dr. Gero didn't take the time to wonder what had happened to the small robot. He left Hasumi with Quote and ran into the next room, looking for anyone who could lift Quote, too small to do it himself.

"Curly!"

The other robot looked up from her silent vigil over her two sleeping children. "Yes?"

"I need your help! Follow me!"

He led her back to the room that served as the hospital and to Quote and Hasumi. He was still lying in a shivering ball on the floor, gasping for air as though he was just learning how to breathe, though the nurse had covered him with a blanket. Curly also noticed the changes Misery's spell had wrought, and blinked in surprise.

"What happened to him?" she asked, lifting him from the floor, surprised by how light he suddenly seemed. She placed him in one of the few empty beds, pulling the blankets over him, removing his hat and hanging it on a post to make him more comfortable.

"I don't know," replied Gero with a shrug of his stubby arms. "He was like this when he got here. I honestly don't know what to make of it. It's almost as if…as if he's no longer a robot."

Curly bent over Quote's form and studied him for several seconds. His erratic breathing, the ears and skin tone, and the heartbeat, the pulse she could sense as she touched his feverish skin, there was only one thing she felt it could all mean.

"…Misery's turned him into a human…"


	6. Learning To Live Again

Author's Note/Disclaimer: I don't own Cave Story, it belongs to Pixel. I just enjoy ruining the lives of characters that probably don't really deserve it. Oh well. Mwee hee hee…

So, chapter five… Really, not much more than an in-between type chapter. A break in the middle, you could call it. Action will resume come next chappy. And a heads up for those of you who didn't notice it in the new summary: this story will be RATED **M** COME NEXT CHAPTER. So now you know where to find it next time, if you're not getting alerts or whatever. Just letting ya know in advance. The real hell has yet to come, mwee hee hee hee…

And geez, this chapter took forever. Sorry about that. Funny story, I thought this was going to be the shortest chapter of the fic, because it was the shortest in the plotting. Guess I was wrong. Tee hee.

Chapter Five – Learning To Live Again

Curly was drawn to the hospital section of the cave by loud, terrified screaming. She had no idea what was going on, but she thought she recognized the voice. Quote and the rescued mimigas had all been unconscious since reaching the hideout, but now it seemed someone had finally come to, and she was fairly certain she knew who.

Rounding a corner, the female robot came across an astonishing sight. Quote was awake, the source of the screaming. His eyes were wild, and Curly knew then and there that he wasn't taking the sudden change from robot to human well at all. She ran to his side. "Quote, calm down!"

She tried to put a hand on his shoulder, trying to sooth him, but it just freaked him out more. He jumped and swung violently at her arm, knocking it away before scrambling as far back as his bed would allow. He looked like a cornered animal, and that frightened Curly. She knew how dangerous a cornered animal could be.

A small crowd was gathering to see what was happening, attracted by the noise. Curly knew they would just disturb Quote more however, and tried to shoo them away. Quote, meanwhile, continued to stare around him, still uncomprehending, scared. His back was pressed up against the wall as far as he could get it, and he was really starting to get crazy, lashing out at anyone who came too close, an animalist growl building in his throat.

Curly tried again to calm Quote, but he turned on her and actually bit down on the arm she had extended to him. She yelped, more in shock than pain, and tried to shake him off, but he wouldn't let up.

"Momorin, Itoh!" Curly called to the people she knew who were closest as she pried Quote carefully from her arm. "Help me! We have to restrain him!"

A couple of Gaudi also helped as the three took hold of Quote's limbs and forced him down, but he continued to struggle, his wails a mix of anger, frustration and fear. Someone Curly didn't know passed her a length of rope, and she started to tie Quote down with it, restricting his movements to prevent him from hurting himself or others.

Once she was sure he was secure, she backed off, unsure of what to do now. Quote still thrashed in his restraints, almost crying, desperate for something, though what, she couldn't guess. Before she had the chance to ask anyone's opinion, Hasumi, Gero and Momorin had taken over for her.

The doctor and his nurse still couldn't come near Quote right away; the robot turned human was almost too violent to approach. Momorin, however, stepped up and, ignoring the young boy's desperate struggles, placed a hand to his forehead. At first, it had no effect, but then slowly, he seemed to calm down until he was lying silently, staring up at the older woman. He still seemed fearful, and incomprehension was still present, but it was at this point Curly first noticed that he was also flushed and sweating.

It was too cool in the caves for Quote's brief but furious struggle to cause him to sweat so heavily; Curly knew something was wrong. Momorin had taken her hand from Quote's forehead and had begun to gently, reassuringly stroke his head as Gero and Hasumi moved in to examine him again now that he was conscious and calm.

"Quote?" Momorin tried to talk to him, her voice gentle. "Do you understand me?"

He didn't reply, his eyes sliding closed as he fell back into an uneasy sleep. Momorin tried to back away to allow Gero and Hasumi better access, but as soon as she drew her hand away, Quote started to whine, so she remained at his side. She gave Curly a worried look. "Curly?"

"Yeah? What's wrong?" The female robot wasn't sure she really wanted to know, unsure if she could cope with anything else going wrong. Given her position, however, she had to hear.

"He's really sick. He's burning up."

Doctor Gero spoke up, vindicating Momorin's statement. "She's right. He had a high fever, and we have to bring it down soon, or he won't stand a chance." He glanced to the eldest Sakamoto. "He seems to trust you. Do you mind helping me with this?"

Momorin agreed, holding Quote's hand while he slept. He seemed to react badly whenever she let him go, but why he would only accept her, no one was sure.

Curly left the doctor to his work, knowing there was little she could do for Quote at the moment, and took the time to look around. Of the Gaudi she had had with her for the battle, less than half of them had returned unscathed. There were dozens of minor injuries; but many of the wounded were in serious, even critical condition. Even with every able bodied person in the cave helping, she didn't hold much hope in their survival. It was a depressing situation, and she didn't know what to do about it.

So, instead of focusing on that, she went to check up on the mimigas. Some of them were beginning to come to now, seemingly none the worse for wear after their ordeals. In fact, only three had yet to awaken, the purple coloured female Curly had fought with, and Hyphen and Asterisk. Gaudi medics were looking after the others, so Curly went to sit with her children.

The two, besides their bandaged wounds, appeared to be sleeping peacefully, as though they hadn't just hours ago been transformed into rampaging monsters. It broke Curly's heart to see them like this now.

She sat down next to the bed the twins shared and reached out a hand, patting the two gently on the head. She wished she could go back to the days before the Doctor had shown up and turned her world upside down, but the was impossible. The days of simple joy were over, and the only way to get that back now would be to win the war. The only problem was, she couldn't see how they could possibly do that, especially now.

She sighed and tried to think of a plan of action as she kept silent watch over her two children.

X X X

The next time Quote came to, he was still frightened but much calmer. He didn't really have the energy to struggle and his head was much clearer. He wanted to know what had happened to him, and why he felt so strange.

His voice was raspy and his throat hurt when he tried to talk. "He-hello?"

"Quote!"

He didn't know who he had been expecting to answer him, but it hadn't been Momorin. For a moment, he had forgotten everything that had occurred. "You're awake. How are you feeling?" she continued.

"I…I don't know. Wh-what happened to me?"

As Momorin replied, she took the compress from his forehead and dampened it again before replacing it. "Do you remember what happened when you fought Misery?"

"She did someth-thing that made me malfunction, b-but I don't know what it was… What's wrong with me? What d-did she do to me?"

"Quote… she turned you into a human."

He blinked up at her, shocked. He tried to move, only to discover that he was still tied down, his expression becoming questioning. At first, Momorin wasn't sure what his problem was, and then she noticed the ropes still tied about his body, restricting his movements. "Oh, I'm sorry," she said as she removed them. "We had to restrain you so you wouldn't hurt yourself or anyone else earlier."

He didn't reply, but once he was free, he began to examine his body, shakily raising his hands to his face, then to the sides of his head. He carefully ran his fingers over his ears, his eyes going wide. "I-I'm… human…" The realization scared him more than anything he had faced before. He started to shake, though not just with fear. His body had yet to fully sync up with his mind, though he had a much better grasp of himself now than he had earlier. "Wh-what am I going to do?"

Momorin touched a hand to his shoulder gently. "Calm down, Quote. I know this is a shock, but don't hurt yourself, okay? We'll figure something out."

He nodded up at her and she could see tears welling in his eyes, though she wasn't sure if his reaction was from fear or the change itself. Perhaps it was both. With a sigh, she picked up the compress, which had fallen from his forehead and dampened it once again before replacing it. He looked up at her, confused. "What is that for…?"

"It's to bring down your fever. You feel too hot, don't you?"

"Yeah…and my throat…it's hard to talk…"

"You have a sore throat. Don't worry; it'll go away in time. Does anything else hurt?"

"I-I don't know. I've…never felt pain like this b-before…"

"Give it time, and you'll learn to recognize the ways your body reacts, okay?"

He nodded slowly and tried to focus up at her. As he blinked, something became clear to him. "Momorin?"

"Yes?"

"Y-you're fuzzy…"

She wasn't sure at first what he meant by that. She hadn't been able to properly style her hair since coming to the island, and she knew it was probably pretty messy; it could have been that he was referring to, but she doubted it. Then she thought of something and knew exactly what he meant.

"Your vision is unclear? Try rubbing your eyes gently, and see if that helps?"

He did as she suggested. He wasn't used to being unable to focus his vision, or even doing it manually. As a robot, he had several different optical settings, and his eyes would automatically focus for him. But even as he rubbed at them and blinked, his vision remained blurred. "It's not working…"

Momorin didn't want to scare him any more than he already was, so she was careful about how she replied. "Well, don't worry too much right now. It might just be because you still haven't fully recovered from the shock of the sudden change."

She didn't think that was it, though. If that were the case, he would probably be having a more difficult time talking or even moving. There wasn't a whole lot she could do to help, though. She wasn't going to try to convince him he was better off now, because she really didn't know. Maybe he really would be better off as a human, but who was she to say? Until she could try being a robot, she had no right to judge.

It was almost as though he was reading her mind when he spoke again. "I…I don't…" He trailed off for a moment before he continued in a more subdued tone. "I don't…like b-being human…"

"I know I can't understand how you feel, but don't be so hasty to judge, okay? Give yourself time. We'll still try to find a way to fix you, but still…try to get used to it. You might decide you like it." She could have told him to just get used to it, since it was very possible he was stuck in his new form for the rest of his life, but she didn't. She wasn't that cruel. As it was, unless they could get Misery to reverse her spell, there didn't seem to be much hope.

"I…" Quote continued to look up at her, his mouth open as though he wanted to say something, but he made no sound. Momorin almost thought he wasn't going to finish, but he continued after several moments. "Okay…" He favoured her with a small smile, the first she had seen on his face since she had met him. "B-but I'm… not going to h-hold my breath."

Momorin couldn't help laughing. "All I ask is that you give it a chance. You don't have to decide you like it."

Quote said nothing, lying back down and closing his eyes. His head hurt and he was sleepy, he really didn't feel like talking anymore. He wasn't trying to be rude, but he couldn't stay awake long enough to reply or even utter a goodnight.

Momorin left him to rest; knowing that doctor Gero and nurse Hasumi would be looking after him, and went to find Curly. She didn't have far to go, Curly was effectively just around the corner, still sitting with her children.

All of the mimigas, including Curly's children, were awake now, and besides the minor wounds they had suffered, they seemed fine. Hyphen was busily asking his adopted mother to tell him all about what had happened to her since they had been separated from her. Asterisk sat by quietly, listening to Curly's answers. She was having a hard time telling them about their little sister, and was grateful for the interruption when Momorin approached. "Ah, Momorin. How's Quote doing?"

Mrs. Sakamoto sat down, smiling as Hyphen whined, robbed of his stories. Asterisk was still silent, thinking quietly to himself, trying to help his mother by coming up with some sort of plan, though she hadn't asked for his help. He had always been an intelligent, helpful boy.

"Quote's calmed down, but he's not feeling well. He's sleeping at the moment," was Momorin's reply.

"Do you think he'll be able to fight again?"

"Excuse me? Look, I know he used to be a robot built for combat, but now he's nothing more than a boy. A frightened, confused child. I'll be surprised if he remembers how to even use a weapon."

Curly slapped the bed in irritation. Without Quote, she had no idea how she was going to do anything to stop the Doctor. She hated to admit it, but he had really been her trump card. With her force devastated and Quote out of the picture, things were really looking grim.

"Are you mad, mamma?" Hyphen crawled up onto Curly's lap, and the female robot couldn't help smiling as she cradled the child.

"Not at you, sweetie. Not at anyone, really," she replied. "But yes, mamma's upset."

"You don't have to be angry, mamma." Asterisk was looking up now. "You'll think of something. I'll help."

"Aw, thanks boys, but mamma and her friends can deal with this. You two just rest and get better." Curly put Hyphen back in bed and pulled the covers up, tucking the twins in. Once the two had settled, she stood and walked with Momorin, continuing the conversation from earlier. "I don't know what we're going to do without Quote."

"I'm afraid I can't be much help. Military strategy was never my strong suit," replied Momorin, a small smile on her face. The situation wasn't very funny, but she was tried of being totally humourless.

"No offence, but I really wasn't expecting you to help with that, anyway."

"I understand."

"Will you do me a favour?"

"Yes?"

"Help Quote. I know he might not be any help as a fighter anymore, but he's going to need help, getting used to being human. I'm not really qualified for that."

Momorin nodded. "I was going to do that anyway."

"Thanks."

Sue happened to be walking by, overhearing the end of the conversation. She came over to join the Curly and her mother. "If you need someone else to fight, I will," she said, an angry glint in her eye. "I wanna give that Doctor a piece of my mind!"

Momorin looked down at her daughter with that look parents are so good at when a child has done something bad. "Sue, you're too young to be fighting. We'll leave that to the trained soldiers."

"But, mom!"

"No buts. You will not be fighting."

The girl turned mimiga huffed and stormed away, grumbling, as her mother sighed. "I don't know what I'm going to do with her."

Curly said nothing. She wasn't about to say what was on her mind aloud; Momorin would not be happy to know that the female robot was considering letting anyone who wanted to fight do so. She needed every soldier she could get right now.

"It's getting late," said Momorin, breaking the awkward silence. "I suppose for now we'll just have to spent some time recovering, and coming up with a new course of action."

"That does seem to be all we can do at the moment," Curly agreed. "Let me know when Quote's feeling better, okay? There's something I need to talk to him about."

"I'll do that."

The two separated, heading back to their respective charges. All was silent in the caves that night.

X X X

It was the next day before Quote woke again. He was surprised to see Momorin was still sitting next to him, in fact asleep in her chair. She had spent the night watching over him. He couldn't understand why she cared. He was getting no more than he deserved for his desertion, being treated with kindness just confused him.

He decided not to bother her and continued to lie silently in his bed, watching the doctors and medics as they went about their rounds. By now, most of the surviving Gaudi were expected to recover, but it was still less than half of the original number. Gaudi were remarkably resilient creatures, and healed quickly.

Quote realised he was feeling much better this morning than the last. He had no real way of telling whether or not his body and mind were totally synced up yet, but it was fairly certain that the process wasn't taking long.

Though he was feeling better, his stomach felt funny. He had required food as a robot, but he hadn't felt hunger. The sensation was entirely new to him, and he didn't know what it meant. He didn't like it, though, and groaned quietly in irritation as he rolled onto his side.

Momorin stirred at the sound and sat up, stretching the stiffness from her arms. She yawned and rubbed at one eye as she glanced down. "Quote?" she asked quietly. "Are you awake?"

"Yeah," he replied, without moving. He was slowly becoming aware of other pains in his body that he didn't understand, and he didn't want to irritate it.

"How do you feel?"

"Better… but, my stomach feels funny. And my gut hurts… And I still can't see clearly."

"O-kay, I was wondering when this would come up. You'll have to get up and follow me, and I'll teach you some basics."

Itoh watched from where he had been making rounds as Momorin took Quote by the hand and led the boy to what served as the cave's washroom. He knew it was really none of his business, but something about the way she seemed to be coddling the boy bothered him.

Momorin looked down as the man turned mimiga approached her. Quote wasn't with her at the moment. "Itoh. Would you like something?"

"Yeah…" He started to fiddle nervously with his whiskers. "I'm just wondering… you seem to be… I know you've been taking care of Quote since he was turned human, but do you think that's okay? So soon after what happened to Kazuma?"

Itoh regretted saying it as soon as it came out of his mouth. The hurt look on Momorin's face made him feel terrible.

"Honestly, I don't see what one has to do with the other," she replied, carefully sidestepping mention of her dead son. "Quote needs help, and there aren't many other people here who can give him that help."

"You're sure you're not trying to replace…" Itoh trailed off, knowing straight away by the look on Momorin's face that he had gone too far. "Sorry," he squeaked, and slunk away, feeling miserable. Momorin watched him go, scowling after him, but understanding what he had tried to say so awkwardly. There may have been some truth to his words, but she didn't have time to dwell on it before Quote returned. The boy was blushing in embarrassment. He knew it was a perfectly normal human function, but it still bothered him.

"Do you feel better now?" Momorin's scowl was gone, replaced by a somewhat bemused smile.

Quote nodded, but refused to meet her gaze. "My stomach still feels funny, though."

"Well, let's go get you something to eat. That should help."

Smiling, she took his hand again and led him off to yet another section of the caves, where the two could get some breakfast.

X X X

Curly's children were still sleeping when she saw Momorin and Quote go by. As she wondered whether or not to get up to go talk to them now or wait until later, she saw Quote stumble and fall on the uneven ground. She didn't know he was having trouble with his vision, and thought it was just one of the many problems he was having adjusting. Just the same, she got up and headed over to see if he was all right.

By the time she reached the two, Quote was already back on his feet, brushing himself off. He was sniffling a little, having banged his knee on the ground. He was quickly grasping the idea of pain as humans perceived it, and he didn't much like it.

When Quote was a robot, he had been able to feel a pain of sorts. Whenever he was damaged, a sensor would let him know. It had been unpleasant, probably programmed that way to discourage him from hurting himself further in the same manner, but it was nothing compared to what he felt now, and it was certainly not maintained.

"How's everything here? You okay, Quote?" Curly asked.

He didn't meet her gaze as he replied, trying to hide the tears that had formed in his eyes. "My knee hurts, but I'm okay."

"We were just going to get some breakfast, if you want to join us?" added Momorin.

The female robot shook her head. "Thanks, but I'm going to wait until the boys are awake first. But I did have something important I wanted to ask Quote, if you aren't in too much of a hurry."

Quote cocked his head, somewhat startled. He hadn't expected Curly to want much to do with him since he had returned as a human, much less about anything important. "What's that?" he asked.

"Did Misery discover the location of this base?"

He had to think for a moment before he replied. "I don't think so. Unless she found it after she did this to me, then chances are, no."

"Are you absolutely sure?"

"How can I be? I'm fairly certain she didn't know where the base was before I found her, but I was too messed up by her spell afterwards to know what she did then. I can just say that, judging from the fact that we're still here, the answer to your first question is still no."

Curly let out a heavy sigh. "I guess that'll have to do."

Quote narrowed his eyes. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing, nothing. I don't have anything else to say to you now, so I'll leave you alone."

Curly's flippant tone just served to irritate Quote more, and he paused, halfway turned away from her. Momorin backed away, not sure what to do, but sensing something bad was coming. "And just what was that supposed to be?" Quote asked.

Curly was starting to get angry now, feeling that Quote was being unnecessarily hostile. "It just means I'm done talking to you. What did it sound like?"

He didn't really have a response for that, unable to articulate in words the way he felt. He tried his best, though. "It just… it sounds like you have no further use for me."

"Well, I don't. I got the information I needed from you, and now that you can't fight, what good are you?"

"What? I can still fight!"

"Oh yeah? Prove it." Curly tossed him her Nemesis, with the safety on just in case. Quote tried to catch it, but he fumbled, and it dropped to the dusty floor. It became clear as he tried to pick it up that he still wasn't synced up enough for him to even be able to properly use his fingers. After a moment of watching Quote get more and more annoyed as he tried to pick the weapon up, Curly knelt down and scooped it from the ground. "Is that good enough for you, now?"

He had had enough. He had put up with Curly's abuse since he had returned, and though he knew he rightly deserved her ire, there was just so much he was willing to endure. He turned back towards her, his eyes reflecting his anger.

Curly backed off, surprised. She had never seen Quote this angry before. She had seen him fight before, it was true, but that wasn't the same thing. While he was fighting, all she had ever seen in him was a grim determination, never anger. Now, though he was trapped in a frail human body, he seemed more deadly than ever.

"Do you think I LIKE being this way!? Do you think I ASKED Misery to do this to me!?"

Curly narrowed her eyes, irritated. "Don't talk to me about what you want! You know damn well this is all your fault! If you hadn't left –"

"What, this never would have happened? Don't give me that! Neither you nor anyone else here knows the future! How the hell do you know things would have been any better if I'd stayed? For all you know, I could have gone up against the Doctor and been flat out destroyed, and then what? Would that have been my fault, too?"

"Quote…"

"Shut up and listen," snarled Quote, and Curly fell silent, shocked by his tone. "I'm not saying I didn't screw up because I did, badly. I know that, I admit it, and I have to live with that pain I've caused for the rest of my life. But neither you nor I had any way of knowing the consequences of my actions when I chose my course. Do you think I still would have left if I had?" He seemed to calm down a little, though his voice was strained when next he spoke. "Look at me, Curly. Don't you think I've suffered enough? Just lay off, okay?"

For a moment, no one said anything. Despite everything that had happened, despite Curly's vehement belief that everything was Quote's fault, what he said made some good points. She didn't know what would have happened if he had stayed. Could things have been even worse?

"I…I think I owe you an apology, Quote," Curly said after several minutes. "You made a good point… I'm still not happy about the choice you made, but… it's not fair of me to fault you for it anymore."

Quote was actually taken aback by Curly's apology. He had just been hoping to convince her to leave him alone; he hadn't been expecting her to see things from his point of view. He blinked, scratching at the back of his neck. "I…uh…thanks?"

Curly surprised him again by laughing at his reaction. It was a laugh of relief; she was tired of being angry, not just at Quote, all the time. She had finally realised she more so hated his decision that he himself.

"Are you sure you don't want to join us?" asked Momorin, unsure of what just happened, though she had a feeling that it was a change for the better. That and she didn't really know what else to say.

Curly shook her head again, but this time she was smiling. "No, I'm still going to wait until the boys are awake. I'd better go check on them now. I'll talk to you later."

Quote and Momorin continued on their way as Curly headed back to her children. They were awake now, awakened in fact by Quote and Curly's argument, but something seemed wrong somehow.

"Mamma? I don't feel very well…"

Hyphen didn't look very well either, and Asterisk was starting to cough. Curly reached out a hand and touched Hyphen's nose lightly, testing to see if it were wet and cold as it should be. Instead she found it dry and warm. She did the same with Asterisk, and found both boys were far too hot. She frowned. "This isn't good… You boys stay in bed and rest. Would you like me to get you something to eat?"

"Not hungry… but could I have something to drink?" asked Hyphen.

"Me too," added Asterisk.

"Yeah… yeah. You two just rest." Curly patted the two on their heads before moving off to follow after Quote and Momorin after all, on her way to get water.

When she reached the section of the caves that served as the mess hall, she found Quote and Momorin just on their way out. She went over to catch them before they left.

Quote gave her a confused look, surprised to see her again so soon. "Is something wrong?"

"The twins aren't feeling well," she replied. She seemed a bit stunned for some reason he couldn't quite figure out. His best guess was that she had just reached that point where all the bad things that had occurred were starting to become too much.

"I'm sorry to hear that. Is there anything we can do to help?" asked Momorin.

"No, it's okay. Just…" Curly trailed off as something occurred to her. "If you happen to notice any of the other mimigas aren't feeling well before I do, let me know?"

As Curly asked her question, something started to nag at Quote, something he couldn't quite remember, but he was sure it was important. He wasn't totally sure of what she was getting at, but it was setting off warning bells in his mind.

"Do you think it might just be something going around with the mimigas? That's probably all it is, nothing to worry about." Momorin was trying to be reassuring, but it was that statement that helped Quote recall the memory that was bothering him.

"That's not it, is it? You want to know if it has anything to do with the red flowers, don't you?" He asked before Curly had a chance to reply.

"Do I sound that paranoid?" Curly looked rather embarrassed. "It's just unusual for both boys to get sick at the same time… Hyphen has such a stronger constitution than Asterisk…"

"I almost don't want to mention this, but a mimiga once told me about the red flowers, but the way he described the effects was a bit strange… He never actually mentioned the whole 'turning into a raging beast' part, only that if you ate red flowers, your blood would begin to boil and soon you'd fall over dead…"

The three were silent for several moments as the implications of what Quote was saying sunk in. It seemed that, not only did the red flowers cause mimigas to change into violent, raging monsters, but they caused serious side effects to boot.

"Can you check up on the other mimigas for me? See if they're reacting the same? I told Hyphen and Asterisk I'd bring them some water.

"Of course. Quote, will you come with me?" asked Momorin. Quote didn't say anything, shrugging almost shyly. He wasn't really sure how he could help, but he didn't know what else to do. He followed Momorin as Curly took water back to her children.

Hyphen and Asterisk had fallen asleep in the few moments Curly had been gone, and she wasn't sure if she should wake them up now that she had returned. In the end, she couldn't bring herself to bother them. Setting the cups she had brought with her down on a natural ledge formed in the cave wall, she settled to watch the twins until they awoke once more.

X X X

Quote trailed timidly behind Momorin as the two headed to where the rescued mimigas were resting. It was obvious at once they were there that the mimigas that had been frenzied were now falling ill. Unexpected fevers were spreading among the other four that had been rescued. There didn't seem to be any cause, and doctor Gero had his hands full trying to treat them all and the Gaudi soldiers he was responsible for. He seemed to know what he was doing, though.

"This isn't the first time this has happened."

Hasumi had approached the two so quietly that Quote hadn't noticed her standing beside him until she spoke. The way she said it was as though she knew exactly what he and Momorin were thinking.

"How come you never mentioned anything about it before?" asked Momorin.

Hasumi shrugged, looking miserable. "It's been so many years since the last time this has happened that we just, forgot. Until now."

"Is there anything we can do?" Quote's voice was quiet, but in the relative silence of the cave, he was easily heard.

"I'm afraid not. It's not unheard of for a mimiga to survive, but there's very little that's effective in bringing down the fever, and most of the time, it doesn't work." Hasumi hung her head. "We'll be lucky if one of these mimigas survive."

"Surely there must be some medicine that's effective?" Momorin didn't want to give up so easily, but Hasumi shook her head again.

"If there is, no one's found it yet."

The situation looked bleak. Even now after they had been saved, it looked as though all the rescued mimigas would die anyway, because of the red flowers. Momorin wasn't just going to let that happen, though. "We'll just have to do that, then. As quickly as possible. How long would you say we've got before the mimigas are beyond help?"

"It all depends. I've heard of some lasting almost a week, but most won't make it past three days."

"We don't have much time, then." Momorin paused to look around. "Quote, will you help me find Itoh and Professor Booster?"

He nodded and the two said fair well to the nurse before heading off to search the cave for the two other scientists. With their combined knowledge, Momorin hoped they could find a medicine to treat the illness, or perhaps even a cure, in time to save the mimigas.

It didn't take long to find the two, and as Quote just stood off to the side and felt useless, Momorin explained the situation. Between the three of them, they didn't have much equipment that hadn't been left on the chopper, but as they tried to find a place where they could set up a small lab, Gero offered use of anything he may have that they would need.

Momorin found Quote after the lab had been set up. It hadn't been hard, since he had been following her most of the time. "Do you think you'll be okay on your own for a while?"

Quote nodded. "I-I think so… Thank you for helping me…"

Momorin couldn't help herself. She knelt down and pulled him into a hug. He squeaked in surprise; as far as he could recall, he had never been hugged before. He settled into it after a moment, though.

"You'll know where I am if you need anything. You can stay if you want, but it won't be very interesting."

Quote shook his head. "I think… I'd like to look around on my own."

She let go of him and stood back up. "Okay. See you later." She ruffled his hair –he hadn't put his hat on that morning– before turning to join Booster and Itoh in the makeshift lab.

As Quote wandered off, he wondered about the strange way Momorin was treating him. He didn't really understand that she was treating him like a young child, though he appeared to be around sixteen. He hadn't realised that his behaviour was decidedly juvenile. In fact, that was probably what Momorin was picking up on when she acted the way she did around him. He acted and was so vulnerable; she just had to try to take care of him.

These thoughts were dashed from his mind as he stumbled on the rough cave floor again. Losing his balance, he fell forward and, without thinking, threw out his hands to stop himself from face planting into the floor. He yelped in pain as he skinned his palms.

Hasumi happened to be nearby when he fell and rushed over to see if he was okay. Helping him up, she took his hands and examined them. Already, blood was beading up along the deeper scrapes. Quote was almost in tears from the pain.

"It's okay, it's not serious. You'll be fine," she told him, trying to be reassuring. "Come with me, we'll get you cleaned up and bandaged. What happened?"

Quote followed the little nurse as he replied, snuffling as he spoke. "I-I couldn't see the dip…"

She laughed lightly. "Yeah, it's not really safe to be daydreaming while walking around such uneven flooring." She sat him down as she went searching for the first aid kit.

"I wasn't daydreaming," protested Quote, though he knew it wasn't entirely true. "I…It's just, everything's a blur to me now."

"Oh? How so?" Hasumi took a bottle of liquid out of the kit and took Quote by the hands. "This might sting a little," she warned before she began to apply it.

"Well, I find it hard to see things the further away they are from me. Everything's all…blobby unless it's right up near me… Does that mean something?" He hissed quietly in pain as whatever it was Hasumi was applying touched the broken skin.

The nurse watched the liquid bubble as she replied. "It sounds as though you need glasses now. It won't be hard to check, if you'd like."

"Glasses?" He didn't sound enthusiastic, and winced as Hasumi wiped his hands dry and applied some more of the bubbling liquid.

"I'm afraid you wouldn't have much choice, here. You can stay practically blind, or get glasses. It's up to you."

"I guess I'd go with glasses then."

Hasumi nodded. "I'm not actually very busy right now. I can check them for you once we're done here."

Quote nodded as the nurse dried the stinging liquid from his hands once more and set about bandaging them. They didn't have any band-aids on the island, so she made due with gauze taped over the worst patches. Once she was done, he stood and followed her as she led him to where Gero had set up an office of sorts.

Quote sat down again and waited as she pulled out a case and opened it. "I'm afraid there's no real way for us to find out what specific prescription you'd need. The only test we have is one of those sheets you read the letters from. What we'll have to do is try you with all of the glasses we have and see which works best, okay?" She slid a pair onto his face. "How does that look?"

It took several tries before Quote found a pair, round with silver rims, which brought his vision back up to something almost the same as it had been before, as a robot in normal vision mode. He hadn't expected to be able to achieve vision that good, though, so he was quiet pleased with what he got.

The two continued to check all the glasses Hasumi had, just to be sure there was nothing better, but in the end Quote went with the pair he had first liked. The nurse helped him adjust them to fit better and then handed him a small mirror so he could get his first real look at himself. He blinked.

"I – I look so…so young…"

Hasumi smiled at him. "You're a handsome young man. And those glasses just make you cuter, in my opinion."

Quote actually blushed. "I'm cute?" He fiddled with his glasses as they slid a bit down his nose. Hasumi giggled.

"Yes you are. I'm afraid I must get back to my duties now, however. I'm glad I could be of some help to you, though."

"Yeah, thanks. It's… nice to be able to see again."

"I imagine it must be. Do you have somewhere to be?"

Quote shrugged. "I'm sure I'll find something."

"Okay, bye now." With that, Hasumi walked off, back to the hospital area, leaving him by himself. He didn't really know what to do with himself now. Everyone had something to do but him. He could help someone, but he didn't know who needed it most.

After a short time spent wandering around aimlessly, Quote finally decided to see if the doctor and nurse could use his help. He didn't know what else to do, and after Hasumi had been nice enough to help him, he figured he could return the favour. He headed back to the last place he had seen the little nurse and then followed in the direction she had gone from there. It wasn't hard to locate her and Gero from there.

"Quote? Haven't found anything to do? Would you be willing to help Gero and I, then?" Hasumi asked as she noticed the boy.

"Actually, that was why I came, to see if I could."

"I can use every bit of help I can get," said Gero, busily gathering medicines and getting them ready for distributions. "Come here and I'll show you what I need."

X X X

While Quote spent the rest of the ay helping Hasumi and Gero do their best to take care of the sick mimigas, Momorin, Itoh and Professor Booster continued to search for a cure. It wasn't looking very promising, and the tight time constraint wasn't helping. The three scientists continued to press on, however.

None of them had really noticed the passage of time, or realised just how late it was getting until Itoh, dozing at his desk, came dangerously close to spilling a vital chemical. The man turned mimiga had found he got tired much easier than he used to now that he was no longer human.

"Well, we can't work all night without rest," said Booster at last. "We can't afford to make mistakes."

There was general agreement, though Momorin didn't like the idea of losing time, even for something as imperative as sleep. She didn't say anything as she helped clean up for the night. She knew science wasn't something you could do asleep on your feet. Once the three finished cleaning up, they said their goodnights and headed off to their respective beds. Momorin passed by Curly and her children on the way and stopped to see how things were going.

Curly seemed to be forgoing her sleep cycle to watch over her boys, and smiled ruefully up at Momorin as the older woman sat down next to her. "They aren't getting any better," she said quietly.

"Have they gotten any worse?" asked Momorin.

Curly shook her head, her smile getting just a bit more genuine. "No. It's something to… I don't know. It gives me reason to hope…"

It was a few moments before either of them spoke again. Momorin didn't know what to say. Though both she and Curly had lost children, it still didn't make it easy to talk about. What could you say to a mother who had already lost one child and now had two more dying?

Curly reached out a hand and touched it to Hyphen's forehead. The sleeping mimiga stirred and groaned, but didn't wake. The fur of both twins was slick with sweat, neither having awakened since earlier that day.

"How's the research going?"

There was no need for Curly to elaborate. Practically everyone in the caves knew what the three scientists were trying to do. "We've had a few good starts, but unfortunately nothing really useful has been found yet. I'm sorry."

"It's okay. You're doing the best you can, though you should probably get some rest now, huh?"

"I should. As should you. It wouldn't do to burn yourself out, okay?" Momorin stood before continuing. "I will see you tomorrow. Goodnight."

Curly responded in kind and Momorin continued on her way. There was one more person she wanted to talk with before she went to sleep, though. When she reached his bed, she found Hasumi had already tucked Quote in. The boy had only gone down moments before and he was already out like a light, snoring softly.

Hasumi smiled up at Momorin as she noticed the older woman. "Gero and I wore him out. He was helping us look after the sick mimigas," she said quietly, so as not to wake the sleeping boy.

"I guess there's not much else I can do here, then. Goodnight, Hasumi."

Hasumi nodded and both she and Momorin headed to their respective beds as things grew quiet; most of the cave inhabitants settled in for a long, restless night.

X X X

Everything was happening fast, too fast for him to understand. His arms and legs felt like leaden weights, they were difficult to move, dragging him down. The water filling his ears and pressing against his body deadened sounds; he could hear nothing beyond the rush of water. He fought to hold his breath, his lungs burning for air as he tried to move his arms, to force his way through to the surface, but there was no surface to achieve. The current dragged him on; impossible to fight against as his tortured lungs threatened to give up and try to breathe the water.

Through the murk and rapidly churning waters, he could barely make out another figure ahead of him, being slowly drawn away. Though he couldn't tell who the figure was, he knew he had to try to reach them, whoever they were; he had to try to save them. But then who was going to save him?

Spots danced in his vision as bubbles escaped from his lips, swirling upwards before being swept away. He couldn't hold on much longer. He tried in vain to ride the current, to use it to his advantage instead of just being borne along at its whim, but he didn't have the strength left to swim.

The figure ahead of him was drawing away faster now, the flow pulling whoever it was further beyond his reach, almost as though taunting him. His lungs were screaming at him now, bubbles escaping from his mouth in an almost steady stream. His vision was growing fuzzy and dark around the edges, and he knew he was going to drown. There was seemingly no end to this tunnel of water; he would not reach air in time.

The water sent him tumbling, and he tried to right himself, the sudden disorientation making him feel ill. Somehow though, the push had brought him closer to the figure ahead of him. Her pale face, ringed in a halo of drifting blonde hair was still just beyond his reach, however. He tried to extent a hand to her, screaming her name only to have the sound snatched away by the water as his abused lungs finally gave out, expelling the breath they had been holding for too long.

Icy cold water invaded his mouth and lungs, choking him as his body tried to breathe the liquid, unequipped to separate the oxygen from the frigid fluid. His body continued to scream at him; though his lungs were working again, they weren't drawing in the air he desperately needed. His vision began to fade, going dark as he felt himself starting to sink, weighed down by the water filling his lungs…

X X X

He jolted into consciousness, sitting upright and breathing heavily as though he had really been deprived of oxygen. It took him a second or two to grasp that he was dry and safe as reality crept back to him. He slowly raised a hand to his throat and rubbed it. The nightmare had seemed so…so real…

He paid no attention to the curious observers from neighbouring beds as his body began to tremble. He couldn't handle this; it was all getting to be too much for him. It had only been one day, but he was tired of being human; in the deepest recesses of his mind he was and would always be a robot. He was sure that he would go mad if he were to remain human for too long.

Quote barely heard a voice call for Momorin as he began to cry, burying his face in his hands. Great wracking sobs shook his small frame as he vented all the pain, anger and frustration that had grown inside him since Misery had cursed him with this form. He ignored the others who were watching him from around the room, not caring much about anything beyond his desperate wish to change back into what he had once been, what he should be.

He felt the bed sink as someone sat down next to him, and jumped slightly as Momorin wrapped her arms around his sides, drawing him into a hug. He didn't fight it off, instead turning to bury his face in her shoulder as he continued to cry. She rocked him gently, semiconsciously lacing her fingers through his dark hair, trying to calm him down.

After several minutes, he finally lifted his head from her shoulder; blinking blue eyes that still glistened with tears, wet tracks running down his cheeks. "I…I can't do this anymore…" he croaked, shaking his head.

"Quote, no," replied Momorin gently, brushing the tears from his cheeks with her thumbs. "I know this is difficult for you, but you can't give up, okay?"

He nodded back at her, snuffling and wiping at his nose. Though he appeared to be around sixteen in age, his behaviour was decidedly juvenile. Momorin didn't find this surprising, however. He had not grown up a human; simple things that were learned through infancy and childhood were lost to him. He was, in essence, a mere toddler. She knew she wasn't his mother, but she could see now that Itoh had been right when he had accused her of adopting him as her own, though she resented the idea that it had been to replace Kazuma. Still, she would try her best to help him learn to be human.

"I-I don't know… if – if I can l-live like th-this for long…" Quote hiccupped as he spoke again. "I-I feel like… I'm going mad…"

"You'll be okay." Momorin hugged the boy to herself once more as she replied. "It may take a while, but you will get used to it, and then it won't seem so bad. But until then, I'll help you, okay?"

"O-okay…"

"So what happened? Did you have a bad dream?"

Quote pressed his forehead into Momorin's shoulder and nodded into it. "I did dream when I was a robot," he admitted. "But…it was never like this…"

"They weren't bad?" Momorin was surprised by the fact that Quote –and judging from that, probably Curly, as well – had dreamt as a robot. She had never really seen machines as the dreaming sort, but then again, Quote and Curly were both very unique.

Quote continued to lean into Momorin's shoulder as he spoke, but his voice grew stronger. Having something to distract himself from his terror helped him settled, and he didn't stammer as much. "No, they were bad… but they didn't really… affect me? It's hard to explain. When I'd wake, I'd know what I dreamt, and I'd know how I had felt in the dream… but the feeling never really crossed over. Like, if I dreamed I was sad, I could be sad about the dream when I woke, but not because of it?"

"I think I understand. You wouldn't be sad because you were in the dream, but because it was a sad dream, a sad story, right?"

Quote lifted his head and nodded, a small, rather pathetic smile crossing his face. "Yeah. I – I don't like waking up and being terrified because of the ghost of a memory… How can humans stand it?"

"You have to understand, humans are just born this way. We haven't had it any other way, so it doesn't seem strange to us." She put her hand on his back comfortingly, as he stared down at his hands clasped in his lap. "Are you okay now? Did you want to talk about the dream?"

Quote continued to stare at his hands, silent for a moment as he considered the question. Now that he had been awake for a while, the memory of it had started to fade, though that was okay, since he didn't like thinking about it, anyway. He had thought Curly had died in that tunnel, swept away from him despite his best efforts to prevent it. He could still remember, but the details were becoming foggy. As a robot, he had never forgotten the details of his dreams.

"No…it's okay, I'm better now," he said at last.

"Well, if you're sure." Momorin gave him another quick hug and stood up. "I have to get back to work now, so if there's nothing else, I'll see you later, okay?"

Quote grinned sheepishly. "Actually… on the topic of seeing… Can you help me find my glasses?"

"Glasses? When did you get those?"

The two looked for the errant eyewear as Quote explained about Hasumi helping him with his vision problems. It didn't take long to find the glasses, and the robot turned human slipped them on.

"Thanks. …Um, actually… I mean, I don't really have anything to do, so can I help?" Quote asked once he could see again.

"You know, I'd say yes only the three of us are already pretty crowded in that tiny space. It just wouldn't be practical. Sorry."

"It's okay. I guess I'll go see if anyone else can use my help."

Momorin helped Quote up before the two said their farewells and headed off in different directions. Momorin back to where she, Itoh and Booster had resumed the search for a cure, and he to wherever he ended up. That turned out to be where Curly was watching over her children.

It was evident that she hadn't gotten any rest that night just by the way she moved. Even though she was a robot, she still needed to rest to allow herself time to cool down and refresh her systems. She could go for a few days without risk of a burnout, but it wasn't recommended. Quote had been the same way, before Misery turned him human.

He didn't have to ask to know how Hyphen and Asterisk were doing. The twins still appeared to be sleeping and Quote doubted that had changed during the night. He had the terrible feeling that they would be the first mimigas to succumb to the illness, as they were the youngest, and probably most susceptible.

She was facing away from him, so he tried not to startle her, tapping Curly on the shoulder before speaking. "H-how are you doing?" he asked quietly. He was still a bit nervous around her. Even though she had finally forgiven him for leaving, their relationship was still strained.

Curly still jumped a bit, but there was no snap to her voice when she replied. "Not very good… Quote?"

"Yeah?"

When she turned to face him, he was surprised to see tears streaming down her face. She startled him by wrapping her arms around his waist and crying against his chest. He knew he didn't have to ask to know what the matter was, turning to look at Hyphen and Asterisk more closely, while at the same time wrapping his arms around Curly and hugging her comfortingly.

He had though the two boys were merely asleep at first glance, but now with a closer look, he could se they were lying far too still just for that. He couldn't help the overwhelming feeling of depression settling over him. He had known the boys from before and had liked them, when they weren't trying to clobber him with cooking utensils. It upset him to know they were dead, but it wasn't just that. He had always been rather fond of Curly, though he had never been able to admit it (and was even less likely to now), and it hurt to see her in pain. It hurt more knowing it had all been his fault.

It was several minutes before Curly calmed down enough to talk, and even then, Quote didn't have to be very specific with his questions. "When…?"

Through snuffles and hiccups, Curly replied, "very early this mo-morning…"

"I'm sorry."

It was a sorry that spoke volumes. He wasn't just sorry that her children had died, there was more to it than just that. He was sorry that it was his fault, that there should have been more he could do to help. He was sorry that they had been, as far as he knew, the first casualties of the illness. He was sorry for all that and more, even if he couldn't put words to all of it.

Curly understood, or at least he thought she understood, what he meant, even if she didn't reply. There really wasn't anything left to say. She just continued to cling to him, no longer crying as hard as she had earlier, but still sobbing. And Quote just let her.

X X X

Itoh was excited. "Professor Booster! Momorin! Look at this!"

The man turned mimiga moved aside so that the other two scientists could look in the telescope he had been using. Something he had been testing was having an interesting reaction with the blood samples taken from a sick mimiga. Compared to samples taken from Sue and Itoh himself, the only mimigas who weren't sick, the difference was clear. Whatever it was that Itoh had been testing was clearing up the sample. It was almost back to normal.

"What is that?" asked Momorin.

Itoh smiled sheepishly. "Well, I was thinking… the way all the Mimigas react to the flowers, it's like they were poisoned. Anti venom is made using snake venom, so I figured… maybe something from the flowers would work against the reaction." He held up a leaf, still looking sheepish. "That sample is mostly sap."

"Well, whatever it is, it looks like it works. We don't have time to test it thoroughly, though. Let's get to work," said Booster.

Despite the best efforts of the mimigas, the red flowers still grew like weeds in several areas around the island. It hadn't been hard to find a few buds for testing, and now they raided the patch again and, following Itoh's formula, made several more doses.

"Let's get this to the mimigas right away," said Momorin, and the three hurried off to the hospital area to distribute the antidote. Itoh and Booster focussed on the other mimigas as Momorin rushed to Curly and her children. When she arrived, she found the female robot still clinging to Quote, sobbing pitifully. She knew then she was already too late.

She just stood there, unsure of what to do next. She didn't know what to say to Curly if she were to talk to her now. What could she say? Sorry we were too late with the antidote?

Momorin had known that some of the mimigas in their care would probably die, and she wasn't even certain, despite the hopeful looking tests, that the cure would even work. It was unfortunate that it had to be Curly's children who would pay. Neither of them or Curly herself had deserved this. The female robot had already suffered enough, more than enough.

The elder Sakamoto stood and watched Quote and Curly for several moments before approaching the two. By this point, the female robot had calmed down a little more, and though she was still hanging onto Quote, she had pretty much stopped crying. Tears weren't going to help anyone now.

Momorin cleared her throat quietly, unsure of just what to say, but it was enough to draw the attention of the two, and they turned to face her.

"Momorin," said Quote, but fell silent after that. He didn't know what to say, either.

Curly was the first to notice the vial Momorin had been carrying, and now she pointed at it, and in a rather stunned tone, asked, "what's that?"

Momorin held up the vial. "This? Well…" There was no more denying it. "It's the antidote we developed just a bit ago. I'm sorry we were too late, Curly."

For a long time, no one said anything. Curly just stared at the vial Momorin was holding in a way Quote had never seen before. The female robot was upset, that was for certain, but she wasn't angry at the scientists for being too late. It wasn't their fault, they had done the best they could.

No, the fault lay with the Doctor. It always had. If it hadn't been for that man, none of this would have ever happened. Her three children would still be alive, she would know what had become of the fourth, Quote would still be a robot and no one would have had to suffer or die.

Curly stood slowly, still staring at the vial. She seemed calm, but Quote could see that she wasn't. In fact, she had gone beyond rage, to that calm place beyond. She glanced to the twins, still lying in their bed, untouched and unmoving, before she turned and started to walk away without a word.

"Curly? Where are you going?" asked Quote, though he didn't expect an answer. He wasn't disappointed, but he and Momorin followed her, worried about what she may do next. Neither of them knew what to expect from the little robot when she was like this.

Curly continued to walk quietly through the caves, and it was soon apparent she was heading for the exit. Quote grabbed her arm in a feeble attempt to stop her. "Curly, stop! You can't just leave!"

"Let me go!"

It was obvious that Curly pulled her punch, twisting around, her fist connecting with his mouth and sending him stumbling backwards, his grip on her arm broken. Before he could recover himself, she turned and ran down the narrow exit to the caves beyond, disappearing into the gloom.

Momorin helped Quote up as the boy rubbed his sore cheek, tears in his eyes from the pain. He wiped a smudge of blood from his lip as he looked down the passage Curly had vanished down. "What are we going to do now?"

X X X

Curly barely noticed the monsters and obstacles in her way as she headed once more for the Doctor's throne to challenge the man. She was angry, and despite being a robot, she could still get carried away by pure emotion. It wasn't smart to do this and if she took the time to really think, she would know it was a waste. But in her rage, she didn't think, and she could see no way of defeating the Doctor with things the way they were now, anyway.

Monsters scattered before her, frightened away by her deadly fury and aim as she made her way to the rocket and through the final cave. She still had the Booster version 0.8 so it made things that much easier. She wasn't worried about the spikes at all.

Curly faced no opposition, once she reached the balcony. The Doctor hadn't replaced the mimiga guards since the last time she had gotten this far. He didn't expect anyone to try anymore, and so didn't think he needed the security.

She didn't pause to take in the scenery, heading straight for the doors leading to the throne room. If she had, she might have noticed the Sky Dragon flying around, playing while still waiting for Quote to return. Even if she had, it wouldn't have mattered, anyway.

The room was empty when she got there, but she hadn't been expecting much else. After a cursory glance around, she could find no way of continuing.

"Show yourself!" she screamed at the empty air. She had no way of knowing if anyone could hear her or not, but she really didn't care.

"Come out and face me, Doctor!"

It was still several minutes before anything happened, and if Curly had been human, her throat would have been raw from screaming. When the Doctor finally appeared, he floated gently down to the ground before the little robot, smiling morbidly. "Greetings. You called for me?"

Curly lifted the Nemesis and trained it at the man standing fearlessly before her. "I'll kill you!"

The Doctor began to laugh. Curly scowled as he continued to laugh, but she couldn't fire. Her hands began to tremble as logic started to filter back through her anger.

"Kill me then, if that is your wish."

The little robot wanted to fight, she wanted to take him down, but something was stopping her. The Doctor was exuding some sort of aura that messed with her programs, causing her to falter despite herself. "Wh-what are you doing to me!?" she demanded, beginning to panic.

The Doctor swept towards her to stand just before her trembling weapon. "You cannot stop me, and you know it. Your army is in tatters, and I still have many more mimigas, even if most of the ones from the previous battle died. You have no hope in hell of defeating me."

Curly's hands were shaking terribly now, and she couldn't stop them, no matter how hard she tried. What the Doctor was saying sounded so…true…

No! It was all lies! She could defeat him right now if she could only move. With a scream of effort, she pulled the trigger.

The Doctor grabbed her wrist, and the blast went wide as his hand came around to cuff her. The force of the blow startled Curly as she fell backwards, hitting the floor and dropping the Nemesis. The weapon skittered off across the stone floor beyond her reach.

The Doctor knew Curly was made of tough material, and any other human would have broken their hand if they had tried to punch her. But Date didn't seem bothered at all by it. His fist had struck with the force of steel, the power of the Demon Crown allowing him the ability to toughen his body to the point where he could go blow to blow with the little robot.

Curly picked herself up quickly and dashed for her weapon, but the Doctor beat her to it. Without it, she didn't have much chance to take the madman down, but she continued to rush him anyway. There was nothing else she could do besides run away, and as far as she was concerned, running wasn't an option.

Date merely scoffed and caught the little robot's swing as she threw a punch at him, and threw her against the floor. She didn't get back up, stunned.

"Is that all?" The Doctor lifted her from the ground by the hair as Misery arrived. The witch took one glance at the scene and scowled.

"What is she doing here?" she asked.

Date threw Curly to Misery's feet. "She is proving to be more of a nuisance than originally planned. Lock her in with the mimigas for now, until I decide what to do with her."

"Yes, my lord." The witch conjured up a bubble around Curly and warped away to the plantation jails as Date headed back to where he had come from.


	7. Misery Loves Company

Author's note/disclaimer: I don't own Cave Story, it belongs to Pixel. So there.

Ah, chapter six. There's not really a whole lot I can say about this except MWAA HAA HAA HAAAAAA! I hope that's helpful. Oh, and blame BW0 for the title. I probably wouldn't have even thought of it if it hadn't been for her suggesting it.

Chapter six- Misery Loves Company

Quote was pacing as he, Momorin, Jenka, Booster and Itoh held counsel. Curly hadn't come back and the five of them knew something was wrong. What they didn't know was what to do about it.

"Quote, sit down. You'll wear a hole through to the bottom of the island," said Momorin.

"Sorry," he replied sheepishly, and found a place to sit. "I'm worried, I can't help it."

"We're all worried. Even through she has done something foolish, she is still the leader of this band," said Jenka. "We will need her back if we are to have any chance of defeating the Doctor at all." The old witch glanced around the group. "Unless there's someone here who could step up and take her place?"

In the awkward silence that followed, there was a lot of shuffling, and no one would meet Jenka's eye. The old witch nodded, humming as though the reaction was not unexpected. "What shall we do, then?"

There was more silence and shuffling. No one had any ideas. Quote was the only one of the group who had any experience fighting, but no one wanted to ask him to do anything, now that he was human.

"Surely someone has an idea?" Jenka gave Quote a glance just as the boy looked up and caught his gaze. The two held eye contact with each other for several seconds before Quote finally nodded, and stood again.

"I have to go out there, find Curly and bring her back," he said.

"Quote, no! It's not safe," protested Momorin.

"I know it isn't. But I'm the only one who can do this. I'm the only one who's suited to this kind of mission."

Jenka nodded slightly. So slightly in fact, that you would have to staring straight at her to notice. "Are you sure you're up to it? You are no longer what you once were, and humans are frail creatures."

"That doesn't matter. It doesn't change the fact that only I can do this." Quote looked determined, but scared. He had right to be. It was dangerous enough on the island for a robot, but now as he was, it would be even more risky.

The boy looked around at the gathered people, as though daring them to stop him, but no one spoke. It was clear that Momorin really didn't like Quote's decision, but she understood that he was right. He really was the only one who had any chance of finding Curly and bringing her back.

He slapped his still bandaged hands on the table, wincing slightly. "Good, it's decided. I'm going to go get my stuff, and then I'm gone."

He turned and walked away from the gathering, startling most of them. Momorin and Itoh hadn't even met him until he had returned to the island in shame, and since then he had been very subdued and nervous. It was a shock to see him taking control.

Momorin scrambled after Quote as he headed to the bed that had been his since he'd returned. It was here that he had kept all his belongings, a small rucksack full of weapons and small trinkets he had found on his previous travels around the island. It was this that he was now headed for, so that he could gather his Spur and go.

Quote was debating whether or not to bring the booster with him when Momorin caught up with him. He was expecting her to go off on a tirade, try to convince him to stay, but it never came.

She placed a hand on his shoulder as he took the Spur and pulled its holster around his hips, setting the booster down. "I know I can't convince you to stay, I'm not your mother. It hasn't been a very long time since I've known you, but I have to admit that I've come to care about you. So you be careful out there, okay? I want you to come back alive and well."

Quote paused and sighed. He straightened up, turned around and surprised Momorin as he wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug. "I know you're not my mother. However, if I could choose, it would be you. Thank you for helping me. I'll be careful, and come back if I can."

It wasn't really what Momorin was hoping to hear, but she understood that he couldn't promise anything that he had little control over. She hugged him back for a moment before he pulled away. "I've forgotten to ask, and I'd like to know so I can tell Curly when I find her, how are the Mimigas doing?"

Momorin smiled. "The cure seems to have worked. Actually, that reminds me. There was a mimiga asking after you. She saw you around the cave and wanted to say hi."

"Oh?" Quote had an idea which mimiga she was referring to. He had seen all of them when he had helped Gero and Hasumi taking care of them. He wasn't really keen on talking to her. If it was who he thought, he was actually a little unnerved by her.

"Yeah, it's the one with the dyed fur. What was her name, Chika?"

"Chaco," Quote corrected, cringing inwardly at the name.

"You know her?"

"We…met once or twice. I had to go through her fireplace in Grasstown not long ago…"

"Well, maybe you should say hi before you go?"

Quote shrugged miserably. He really didn't want to se the mimiga, but Momorin had already started leading him to where the purple furred female was staying. Chaco was sitting up and smiling as the two approached.

"Mr. Traveler!" she exclaimed as she saw Quote. "Is that really you? Those glasses are really cute!"

Quote didn't meet her gaze, uncomfortable in Chaco's presence. Somehow, Momorin never picked up on his discomfort, or else she probably would have made an excuse to get him out of there.

"Hi, Chaco…" he said, trailing off. He didn't know what to say to the girl.

Quote still didn't really understand what had happed that night, but it had made him very uneasy. He had been hurt, and needed to rest. Chaco offered him the use of her bed, for which he had been grateful, but he hadn't been expecting the female mimiga to climb in with him. At his request, she had gotten out again, but the next morning, he woke to find the girl snuggling into his chest. He had no idea of what she may have done to him while he had been asleep, and he had taken extra care to avoid her from then on. Nothing on the island had frightened him as she had.

"You never came to visit again, were you busy?" Chaco asked, still smiling warmly at him.

"Uh…yeah, and honestly, I'm a bit busy now, too," he replied, thankful for the excuse to leave. "It was…uh, nice to see you again."

"Don't be a stranger!" chirped the purple furred female.

Quote waved a hand feebly as he shuffled away, suppressing the urge to shudder and still refusing to face the girl. Momorin followed behind him. Somehow, she had interpreted his reaction as the complete opposite of what it had been, seeing it as shy instead of disturbed. He didn't really want to talk about it though, so he changed the subject as soon as they were out of Chaco's earshot.

"I really can't afford to dawdle here any longer… It shouldn't take more than a couple days for me to find Curly and get back, if all goes well. If we don't return in, say three days, then…" He trailed off, unsure of just why he was being so specific. He didn't want Momorin to worry about him, but there was something wrong about setting a date for your own death.

"You be careful."

"I will," he replied, flashing her an unsure smile as he turned and headed for the exit, weapon in hand. Momorin stood and watched him go until he had disappeared into the inky blackness of the cave. She continued to stand there, staring after him for several more moments before turning and heading back inside.

X X X

He didn't really know where to go. He had never gone past the outer wall before, and though he had a map, it wasn't the same as actually being there. He wasn't sure where Curly would be, but he still had to look.

Quote met little resistance as he made his way to the teleporter, jumped to Arthur's house and made his way through to the Egg Corridor towards the outer wall. The monsters had learned from the past that if they wanted to stay alive, they should stay out of his way. It wouldn't take him long to reach his destination.

He had planned to use the Booster to reach the top of the outer wall, but he realized halfway there that he had forgotten the machine. He was going to have to climb; it would be difficult, but he would do it if he had to.

Quote reached the end of the Egg Corridor and pulled open the door leaded to the hatching room. He paused as he came across the shards of Nero's egg, recalling the way he had essentially abandoned the baby dragon on the balcony. He really hadn't expected things to turn out the way they had; he hadn't expected it to take so long to overthrow the Doctor. He felt bad about it, but he couldn't do much about it now.

Quote knew he had little time, and pushed through the door leading to the outer wall, the farthest he had ever gone through the island. But he had no time to dwell on thoughts of his desertion and Kazuma's resulting death, startled by a sudden cry.

"Huzzah!"

Balrog stood before him, the large boxy creature grinning at him. Quote instantly grabbed for the Spur, but Balrog waved his flippers to stay him from shooting.

"Can't we just talk?" he asked.

"Does your master allow that?" Quote shot back, annoyed. He didn't have time for this.

Balrog bounced on his feet as he replied. "Well, not really, but I don't really want to fight."

Quote lowered the Spur slowly. "So you'll let me go?"

"Not if you're planning on going up, sorry."

"Do you know where Curly is?"

"Is she that female robot?"

"Yeah."

"The masters' got her locked up with the mimigas in the Plantation. Is that what you're after?"

"Are you going to let me go get her?"

"Nope, sorry." Balrog's tone was light, almost jovial, but Quote could see a hint of something in his eyes. It seemed as though the boxy creature had not been lying about not wanting to fight. There was no other choice, though. Quote had to go on.

"If I beat you as I am now, will you take me to her?" he asked.

The situation reminded Quote somewhat of the Boulder Chamber, and he found himself longing for Curly to be there with him. Although, if she had been, he would never have had to come this way.

"Do you think you can?" Balrog asked.

Quote fell into a battle ready stance, Spur raised and ready. "I'll try."

Without another word, Balrog jumped towards the little boy. The ceiling was too low for the boxy creature to get the height he would normally require, so Quote had lots of time to scramble aside and fire off a couple of quick shots. They slammed into Balrog's side with seemingly no effect at all as he came in to land, spinning around towards Quote again with a speed that belied his size.

Quote had to be careful not to fall off the side of the island as he dodged Balrog's attacks. The box continued to leap at him, but it didn't really seem like his heart was in the battle. The boy didn't want to hurt him, but he had to defeat him somehow.

Holding the trigger, Quote began to charge the Spur, hoping a stronger blast would have more effect. He knew Balrog had several attack modes besides just trying to leap on things, but the box was refraining from using them, perhaps to keep from damaging the delicate infrastructure.

The slight chirrup of the Spur signaling a full charge distracted Quote just long enough to allow Balrog to dart forward and bowl him over. Yelping in surprise, the boy toppled over, his weapon knocked from his hand. With no one holding the trigger, the Spur discharged, the beam cutting into the ceiling above Balrog. A metal support beam was severed by the laser and came crashing down on the boxy creature's head.

Quote scrambled out of the way, scooping up the Spur, as loose stones previously held in place by the support began to rain from above. Balrog had just shrugged the metal off as he disappeared beneath falling stone.

For a moment, everything was still and silent. Quote stared at the place where Balrog had disappeared in shock. He hadn't wanted to hurt him, but he didn't know if even Balrog were tough enough to survive that.

He didn't really realize what he was doing until he was already on the rubble pile, digging. Balrog had once helped he and Curly, and now he felt he should return the favor. Though he had to fight the giant box, he couldn't help liking him. It would have been easier for him to shift the larger rocks had he still been a robot, but he did his best.

"Balrog, can you hear me? Are you okay?" he asked as he continued to slowly shift the mass of boulders. There was no reply, and Quote really started to worry. He lost track of time, but the pile didn't seem to get any smaller. He was beginning to think he wasn't going to accomplish anything when he finally spotted Balrog through the mess. "Balrog! Come on, show me you're okay!"

The pile began to shake and Quote jumped off as rocks showered to the ground as Balrog stood up. The large box blinked and took a few moments to fully regain his senses, still surrounded by the pile of debris from the destroyed ceiling.

"Balrog?"

"I think you win," Balrog said finally, a slight grin crossing his face. "Why did you help me?"

Quote didn't really know how to answer that question. It had just seemed like the right thing to do at the moment. "Well, I guess we're even for the boulder chamber, then?" he replied lamely, shrugging.

"Huh," was all Balrog said for several moments. Then he broke into a large smile. "Well, you won, so I guess I have to carry out my end of the bargain." He lowered himself to the floor as much as he could and held out a flipper for Quote to climb on. "Get on and I'll take you to your friend."

Quote knew it wasn't a good idea to be so trusting, but he couldn't help feeling that Balrog wouldn't go back on his word. After making sure the Spur was holstered once again at his hip, he took hold of the flipper the boxy thing held out for him and levered himself up until he was sitting on Balrog's head.

"Hold on, 'cause here we go!"

With that, Balrog ran forward and jumped from the side of the island. Quote's stomach gave a lurch as the two fell downwards for several seconds before Balrog started to flap his flippers. Their decent slowed and then they began heading upwards as the boxy creature flew towards the entranceway to the storage room.

If the situation hadn't been so dire, Quote may have actually enjoyed the trip. Riding on Balrog was much like riding a flying horse, only without the benefit of a saddle. It wasn't a very long journey before the two reached the jail cells, and Quote jumped down from Balrog's head.

"Thank you, Balrog," he said, nodding to him.

The boxy creature grinned sheepishly. "Just don't tell anyone I helped you again, okay?"

"You have my word. It's too bad we're not on the same side."

Balrog smiled, but didn't reply as he turned and left, leaving Quote alone in the hall. Cells lined both walls, containing upwards of about five mimigas each. He couldn't see Curly from where he was, so he started walking down, checking each cell.

Some of the caged mimigas ignored him, sitting to the back and trying to remain unseen. Others begged him to free them, and a couple even yelled abuse at him. He ignored them all, though it pained him to do so, and kept searching.

X X X

Balrog thought he had been unseen as he took Quote to Curly, but a sudden voice stopped him dead in his tracks as he left the jail hall.

"Balrog! What are you doing!?"

"Misery! Uh…"

The witch crossed her arms, glaring angrily at the big box. "Did I just see you helping that boy?"

Balrog blinked. "Uh…no?" he replied, with a nervous grin.

"Get out of my way, you idiot!" Misery raised her staff, and struck Balrog with a bolt of lightning before brushing past the stunned creature and into the cell room.

X X X

"Quote, what the hell are you doing here?"

Curly was in one of the cells near the end of the hallway, before it opened into an empty room. She had been quite surprised to see Quote, and angered. "You should be back at the base taking over for me, not out here!"

Quote replied as he set about shooting the lock off the cell door. "You and I both know I'm not fit to lead an army anymore, Curly. They need you, not me."

She sighed angrily, knowing he was right though she was loath to admit it. "We need to free the mimigas before we go at least."

"I know you don't want to hear this, but I don't think we have the time. Misery or the Doctor could show up at any moment."

Curly's retort was cut off by another voice. "He's right, you know."

The two spun around to see Misery making her way down the hall towards them. Quote frowned and dropped into a battle ready pose. "Go, Curly! Get out of here while I hold her off!"

The two had no time to speak as the witch raised her staff and began her attack, Quote jumping aside to dodge the deadly bolts while firing back with his own weapon. Curly, on the other hand, ran to the cell she had once been in, and urged the now free mimigas to run for the exit. As they did as she told them, she ran to the next cell, and smashed the lock with her robotic strength, able now to reach them from the outside.

Quote saw what Curly was doing, but was unable to do anything about it as he continued to hold Misery's attention, determined to give Curly the time to escape, even if it cost him his own life. Otherwise, his mission would be a failure, and the island would be doomed without the female robot.

Quote dodged another bolt from Misery, firing back at the witch before trying to locate Curly again. She was still over by the mimiga cages, though only a couple of the enclosures still remained occupied.

"Curly, I told you to get out of here! Go!" He paused to parry a blow from Misery's staff, and pushed her back. "I can't hold her off forever!"

"I'm almost done! Just hold on!" Curly shouted back. Smashing the lock, she opened the final cage. "There, I've got them all! Let's go!"

The female robot began leading the liberated mimigas out of the prison, away from the combat. She was unable to help Quote in his battle even if she wanted to. Without a weapon, she was no match for the witch. Quote knew this, and waved her on as he continued to fight, intent on holding Misery back for as long as he could to give them a better chance at escape.

He was distracted for only a second, checking on Curly's progress, but that was all Misery needed. The bolt she summoned didn't actually strike Quote, but it tore up the floor beneath his feet and sent him tumbling into the wall. His head barely hit, but it was enough to stun him momentarily and he collapsed. His glasses fell from his face and skittered across the floor, luckily unbroken but still beyond his reach.

The witch laughed at the young man, and walked over to his side, paying little attention to the escapees. They were unimportant. At the moment, she had other things on her mind, and she was sure she would not get a chance like this again.

She kicked Quote over onto his back, eliciting a moan from the unfortunate boy. He was dimly aware of her removing his gloves, not completely conscious; yet alert enough to be confused by her actions. Sudden pain brought him back to full wakefulness as the witch woman summoned thorny vines to snake around his wrists and ankles, pulling taunt to effectively hold him in place. He could feel the warmth of his blood seeping from multiple puncture wounds.

Before he could say anything, she knelt down beside him and placed a hand on his chest. "It's a bitch, isn't it? Being tied down, subject to someone else's will?"

"Let me go!"

Misery slapped him. "No." She smiled, a cruel expression as she traced a finger down his middle to the base of his shirt before sliding a hand under it. Quote's eyes snapped wide in surprise as the witch began to stroke him.

"Wh-what are you doing to me?" he asked, scared and confused. He didn't understand what she was doing, or the way it was making him feel. He just, somehow, knew it was wrong.

"I cannot speak ill of my master," Misery went on, ignoring Quote's question. Straddling him, she rolled his shirt up, running her hand across his bare chest. His back arched at the sudden sensation, and he yelped in pain as the vines holding his wrists dug their thorns further into his flesh. "The curse prevents it, but I am as much a prisoner to he as you are now, to me."

Quote whimpered, tears of pain and fear stinging his eyes. The witch didn't let up, her fingers sliding down his chest to his belt buckle. As she began to work the clasp, she continued. "That man…has chosen to use me for purposes other than just serving as his minion… You would not believe the things he has had me do to him, the things he has done to me."

"Please…stop…" Quote's voice sounded pathetic even to him. He had no idea what Misery was talking about, and he didn't want to know. There was something to her touch, though, that made his body tingle; the sensation would have been almost pleasant if his instincts hadn't kept screaming at him that it was wrong, terribly wrong. This wasn't how things should go.

"It has been decades since I've last known the touch of a real man." She ignored him once more as she pulled his belt free and tossed it aside. "My body craves that contact. You are the only candidate on this whole island who is able to provide it."

"I…I don't know what you're talking about…" And it was true, he didn't. This still didn't stop the witch.

"Then allow me to show you." Misery knocked his hat violently from his head and dug her hands into his hair, pulling it roughly. Quote's pained exclamation was choked off as the witch leaned in and pressed her lips viciously against his. Forgetting momentarily about his restraints, he tried to raise his arms to push her off, only to cause the thorns to dig even deeper into his wrists. The witch woman continued to hold the kiss despite his attempts to twist out of it.

It disturbed Quote to find that, though one part of his mind screamed at him to fight the witch off, another found Misery's touch quite appealing. His body almost seemed to be ignoring his brain, wanting the witch to continue, but to continue to do what he still wasn't sure, and that thought frightened him more than anything.

Misery pulled away and straightened up, though she was still straddling him. He gasped for air, having been unable to breathe while the witch had been kissing him. He spluttered and spat angrily; wanting to take a hand and wipe it fiercely across his mouth, but the vines still twisted about his wrists prevented it. His reaction only caused Misery to laugh.

"That's hardly the worst I'll do to you," she said. Quote fell silent and still, glaring up at the witch, trying to seem defiant, but only coming off as shaken and scared. Misery stood and, Quote blinked, began to undress. Her pale skin glistened in the torchlight as she knelt down beside him once more, her hands moving towards his waist.

"No… Stop, don't touch me! Stop it!" he cried in desperation as Misery's hands found his zipper and she began to remove his pants and undergarments. The vines prevented her from stripping them off completely, so she settled for pulling them down as far as they would go.

Quote bit back a sob as Misery's hand brushed across him. Despite the thorn vines and the witch's usual demeanor, he couldn't help finding that she was being rather gentle with what she was doing, even if he still wasn't clear what it was.

She continued to stroke him, and he couldn't help moaning. He still knew it was wrong, but his body was ignoring his brain, basking in the sensations. He lost track of how long Misery continued to touch him, whimpering regardless of the pleasurable feelings. He had given up trying to stop her, knowing it would be of no use. At the same time, he couldn't figure out why she was doing it. He had been expecting her to torture him after capturing him, inflict some unimaginable pain, not the pleasant sensations shooting through his body.

Only a few moments had passed before Misery stopped her caressing touch, and Quote hoped she had finished with him, though he knew deep down she wasn't. The witch straddled him again, sliding herself down onto him, and he jumped at the sudden jolt of delight, his husky moan cut short by a yelp of pain as the thorn vines bit into his wrists once more.

Misery's body was hot against his as she moved against him, and he felt his own temperature rising as his thoughts grew more and more addled, no longer able to recall why it was such a terrible thing she was doing. His instinct had lost out to his total lack of knowledge about such things.

Without any real conscious thought on his part, his body started to move in time with Misery's as much as it could while restrained. She gasped in surprise, and smirked down at him though she said nothing. Lowering her head to his neck, she started to bite it gently, drawing another moan from his lips.

Time seemed to slow down, and with each movement of their bodies, the sensations continued to mount until Quote didn't think he could stand it anymore. He didn't want to stop, but the sensations were almost more than he could stand, and they were just getting stronger. He felt like he was losing his mind.

Quote wanted to speak, to beg the witch to stop, but he couldn't get the words out. Misery would have ignored him anyway, her movements growing faster by the moment as she built towards climax. And though he didn't really understand, he was too.

He couldn't stop himself from screaming out as he came, Misery echoing his cry as she reached climax as well. For a white hot moment, all thought was abolished from Quote's mind as the feelings flooded over him. He had never felt better or worse than how he felt now.

Spent, Misery collapsed on top of him, breathing hard. Quote's thoughts came back to him slowly, the first thing he was aware of was the witch's hot breath against his neck. The feeling that something wrong has just happened came back to him in a torrent, overloading his emotions so that he could barely keep from outright wailing. As it was, he couldn't stop crying weakly, having no strength left after what Misery had done to him, and from blood loss.

For several moments, the two continued to lie there, Quote sobbing quietly. It almost seemed to him that Misery had fallen asleep, until she shuffled and lifted herself slowly from him, stretching languidly.

Laughing, she ran a finger across his jaw line. "You know, you're not bad. With a bit more experience, you could be the best I've ever had."

He didn't reply, still sobbing, his head lolling to the side because he didn't have the energy to lift it. Misery stood and took a few moments to redress before she turned her attention back to him. She redressed him before uncurling his restraints, the vines twisting off and away, disappearing back where they had come. He didn't try to move once he was free, unable to do so even if he had wanted to.

It took Misery a moment to realize that the vines had done more damage to Quote than she had expected. His right wrist was covered in the little bleeding puncture wounds she had expected, but his left was coated with blood. One little thorn had caught in just the wrong place and torn open an artery. The witch took up her staff and cast a quick healing spell, closing the injuries.

If she hadn't glanced at his face before preparing to take him to the Doctor, she never would have noticed just how pitiful Quote looked. He hadn't stopped crying, wet tracks running down his dirt smudged face. She wasn't sure why she did it, but the witch couldn't help reaching out her hand and wiping the tears away.

He sniffled, staring up at her, surprised by the sudden, unexpected show of kindness. The witch had done something terrible to him, and now, it was almost as if she were trying to make it up to him. The thing was, Misery had never taken the time to observe the results of her actions. She had always tried to pass off the fighting to others if she could, and when there was no other choice, she would do it quickly and leave without another look.

Now, she had no choice but to face what she had done, and it surprised her to find she regretted it. It had been centuries since the last time she had allowed herself to feel remorse or regret. She found it strange to be feeling them again now, after all the monstrous things she had done in the past. Though it was clear that this had been done of her own volition and not on command from a master, and was worse than all the killings she had been ordered to carry out.

She opened her mouth to speak, but the apology stuck in her throat. It wasn't easy shaking off hundreds of years of fixed behaviour. And why was it Quote that she suddenly gave a damn about?

Shaking her head, Misery's expression hardened as she raised her staff once more to encase Quote inside a transportation bubble. He floated there, still snuffling, though done outright crying, following the witch with his eyes, a look of weary confusion on his face. She turned away, sure she would soften again if she faced him for too long, and teleported herself and her prisoner up to the Doctor's lab.

Date was again busy at his table, engrossed in the project he had started several days ago, Misery still didn't really know what it was. She didn't really care at the moment, though.

"My lord?" she said, to draw his attention.

The Doctor turned and his expression at once became mildly annoyed, though he was interested at the same time. "What is this?" he asked, pointing to the bubble where Quote continued to float forlornly.

"An intruder. He managed to free the female robot, and she in turn escaped with many of the mimiga captives. I was only able to capture him."

As Quote watched, helpless inside his magically conjured prison, the Doctor scowled, stalked forward and backhanded the witch, sending her tumbling to the floor with the force of his blow. "Are you telling me this _boy_ was all you could capture? You let my army escape!"

Misery picked herself up slowly, bowing. "I am sorry, my lord."

Date folded his arms and scowled down at her. "I suppose there's nothing that can be done about it now." He glanced at the overcrowded cages lining the room. "Relocate some of these mimigas to the Plantation, and throw him in with them. With any luck, his little friend won't be too eager to come back and get him. Unless you believe you could do a better job next time?"

Misery didn't reply. It was an unfair question; she couldn't answer it without making him angry somehow, and she knew it. He would still be angry even if she said nothing, but at least it never seemed as bad as though she had responded.

Misery was never ready for it when the Doctor attacked. He moved faster than she expected, and before she had time to dodge, he had already connected with his fist. The witch collapsed under the blow, and Date left her there as he turned back to the table he had been working at. She stood slowly, wiping blood from her lip as the Doctor spoke once again. "Now do what I told you."

Quote watched the whole exchange from his floating prison. He saw the witch scowling at the Doctor's back as she started warping mimigas from the overcrowded cages down to the Plantation. Once she was done, she warped herself and Quote as well.

The cells were fuller now than they had been when he had first arrived, but he was surprised to see one still empty. It was to this one that Misery was now taking him. He didn't say anything as she floated him into the cell and released him from the bubble. She didn't go in, closing the door once he was inside.

Quote sat, watching the witch silently, too tired to really do much else. His expression was blank, and Misery couldn't help being annoyed by it. "I made sure you got a cage to yourself, so be grateful."

He still didn't reply, but Misery could see a change in his expression she couldn't quite read. After a few moments of silence, the boy turned away from her, laying down facing the wall. Misery knew then there was no point in trying to talk to him, and left him to himself.

X X X

The headcount was wrong. Curly knew she had freed twelve mimigas, so counting Quote, there should have been thirteen. But there was only twelve. Quote was missing.

"Damn it," she muttered, as she watched the rescued mimigas as they were led off by doctor Gero for a checkup. Quote never should have come to rescue her, she knew. She could have gotten free on her own somehow. How could he have been so stupid?

She slapped the wall in frustration, knowing it would be foolish to try to save him now. If she were to free him only to be captured again herself, nothing would have been accomplished. He would only come to rescue her again, and she couldn't let it come to that. She hoped he would be okay until she got the chance to try once more to defeat the Doctor, and in turn, free his captives.

"Curly!" Momorin came running towards the female robot, a look of concern on her face, though she seemed happy enough to see Curly. "Where's Quote?"

It was the question Curly didn't want to answer, since she really didn't know the answer to begin with. "I'm sorry, Momorin," she said, trailing off, unable to face the woman.

Momorin's expression became worried. "He's not…?"

"No, no," Curly interrupted, unwilling to leave her with the wrong idea. "I don't think he's dead. But he's probably been captured."

"What do you mean, probably?"

"I mean I don't know what happened to him. He was supposed to be following me and the mimigas, but he wasn't here when we arrived. I think Misery caught him."

"We have to go save him, then."

"We can't."

Curly was well prepared for Momorin to argue, but she was surprised when she said nothing. For several moments, the two looked at each other in silence.

"I know that," Momorin said at last. "But…I don't want to lose another son… Even if he's not mine by birth."

"I understand, Momorin, but it's too risky. And it wouldn't make much sense to risk my freedom to save him after his sacrifice to save me."

"I will go on my own, then."

"No!" And now Curly was angry. It had seemed at first she was going to be sensible about it, but now, she could see that wasn't the case. "Don't be stupid! You would only get yourself hurt out there!"

"Well, it's more than you're willing to do," snapped Momorin, and she stalked away without giving Curly a chance to reply.

The female robot didn't know what to do. She scowled after Momorin, uncertain if the woman would actually try to go after Quote or not. She didn't think she would, she would know that she would need help to accomplish anything.

Curly shook her head, and headed off to where the mimigas were getting their checkup. She would keep an eye on Momorin, it was all she could really do. For now, there was work to be done.


	8. Balrog's Happy Frolic

Excerpt from Chapter 7, Balrog's Happy Frolic

Author's Note/Disclaimer: I don't own Cave Story, it belongs to Pixel.

So, not much to say about this chapter, really, other than, I'm a sick, sick individual with a gruesome imagination. Well, I must be to do the things I do to my favourite characters. Mwee hee hee. Anyway, here ya are, another chapter. Have fun. I know I did. Oh, and the chapter title is yet another joke. I'm such a bastard. Also, sorry this took so long. My writing hiatus went on a little longer than I'd expected.

Chapter Seven: Balrog's Happy Frolic

He wasn't sure how long he had been asleep for. He remembered rolling over to face away from Misery, but after that, nothing. At least, he figured with a snort, he had a bit more energy to continue doing nothing with.

Quote curled up into himself as his thoughts wandered back to what Misery had done to him. He still couldn't figure out why she had done it, or why he had reacted to it the way he had.

The thing was, he knew nothing about sex. He and Curly had been built to resemble a boy and girl, but both of them lacked the defining parts. There had been no reason to program them with such knowledge they wouldn't need.

He slowly unwrapped the bandages from his hands, the scrapes having been healed by Misery's earlier spell. As he did so, he couldn't help thinking that, despite the fact that he hated the witch, he almost wouldn't mind trying it again. That thought disturbed him; just what was it she had done to him to make him think like this?

A sudden clinking pulled him from his thoughts, and he rolled over to see Misery staring down at him from beyond the bars of his cage. She pointed to the floor and he followed her motion to find his glasses lying next to him.

"You dropped those," she said.

He didn't reply as he picked them up and slid them onto his face. He blinked, noticed a small scratch on the left lens from where they had hit the floor, then stood and turned to face the witch.

"What do you want?" His words came without any real inflection. Quote wasn't angry, but he really didn't care what she wanted.

"The Doctor has called for you. Come with me." Misery opened the door to Quote's cell and motioned for the boy to exit. He would have tried to make a break for it if he had thought it would have done him any good. He was still tired, weak, and even now wasn't fully used to his human body. It would do him no good to start running only to trip up when his legs didn't do what he told them. So he walked slowly, allowing Misery to guide him to the room known as the King's Table, where the Doctor waited.

"Hurry it up," snapped the witch, prodding Quote in the back with her staff. He grimaced at the sudden pain, and forced himself to move faster, stumbling a little on the rough ground. This still wasn't fast enough for Misery however, the witch grumbling in agitation.

After several more moments, she gave up and summoned a bubble casing around Quote, which lifted the machine turned young man from the ground and allowed her to float him quickly to their destination.

The sudden sensation made Quote feel ill, and he found himself wondering if Toroko had felt alike the time Misery had used this same spell on her. He pushed this thought aside, knowing it was useless to focus on the past now. Presently, he had to find some way to escape. He didn't know what the Doctor wanted with him, but he was certain it could be nothing good.

As a robot, Quote had been able to process his situation and come up with a suitable course of action in seconds. As a human, he was no longer able to think at such high speeds, nor as clearly. It was a source of frustration to him, and it now prevented him from developing a plan.

He hadn't been paying attention and was caught off guard when the bubble lifting him popped, dropping him roughly to the floor. Biting back a yelp, he rose quickly, looking up. The Doctor stood before him, a disturbing smile playing across his lips, the Demon Crown glinting upon his head.

Quote cast his gaze around the room, taking in his surroundings, looking for a way to escape. The room was large, cages full of trapped Mimigas lining the walls and hanging from the ceiling. Red flower vines grew and twisted on the floor, climbing up, towards the sunlight. He could see no way in through the floor, and though the walls were open to the air, Quote didn't relish the idea of a fall from such a height.

Balrog was standing off to one side, the large, boxy thing's expression unreadable. Quote found this a bit odd, since he was used to seeing Balrog wearing an idiotic grin, but he didn't worry about it. He knew now he had no chance to get away. Misery still stood behind him, and Balrog could move faster than one would think for his size.

The Doctor reached out a hand and grasped Quote's arm, examining it. Quote pulled back, trying to wrench free from his grasp, but the Doctor tightened his grip, hurting Quote's wrist. Date's smile grew when this caused the young man to cry out in pain.

"So, you're human now. I wonder…"

"Wonder what?" asked Quote. He didn't want to be afraid of this man, didn't want to show his fear, but he could feel the evil emanating from him and it made Quote shudder. It was all he could do to keep his voice from trembling. "What do you want with me?"

The Doctor just chuckled. "Balrog!"

"Yes sir?" The oversized box took quick strides to his master's side.

"Strap this one down on the table."

Quote wasn't sure how he'd missed the table before. Date was standing next to it, the white marble stained with blood. He had a good idea what the Doctor used it for, but he had no desire to find out for sure firsthand.

He screamed in defiance and squirmed free from Balrog's grasp as the boxy creature tried to pick him up. He was running scared now, not taking the time to think his actions through. All he knew was he had to get away somehow.

Several of the caged Mimigas looked up at the sudden commotion and watched in silence. Their expressions were empty, beaten. They knew the boy was doomed to capture, all their hopes for safety and freedom had been dashed long ago. Quote couldn't help them now. He couldn't even save himself.

The Doctor laughed. "Where are you running, boy? There's nowhere you can go."

Quote ignored him. How had they gotten in? There had to be a way out. There just had to be! But wherever it was, he couldn't find it. Balrog chased him as he scrambled desperately around the room, searching for an exit.

The chase continued for several minutes before Quote began to tire, losing hope. He paused for a moment to catch his breath, but this turned out to be a mistake. As he turned around, he saw Balrog's huge form falling towards him.

"Huzzah!"

With a loud crash, he smashed down on Quote, throwing him roughly to the floor. His head hit the hard rock ground with a sickening crunch. Stars burst in his vision before everything went dark.

X X X

His head ached as he slowly blinked his eyes open. He was unsure of how long he had been unconscious. Groaning, he tried to sit up, only to find his wrists and ankles strapped to the table he was laid out across. He tried to pull free, but the leather bands held fast. His vision was still blurry despite the glasses, and he blinked again to try to clear it. He wished he hadn't.

The Doctor stood over him, an eerie grin on his face. In his hand he held a scalpel, and though Quote didn't know what he intended to use it for, he knew he didn't want to find out. He pulled against his restraints as hard as he could, but all he managed to do was hurt his wrists.

Date laughed, a dark, sinister sound, as he watched his captive's helpless struggle. "It's useless to fight, you know. Now, hold still and we'll see what a robot turned human looks like from the inside."

Quote stopped struggling, shocked into stillness as he realized what the Doctor was saying. He desperately cast his eyes around the room, pleading silently for someone, anyone, to help him. None of the caged mimigas would look at him; they were unable to help even if they wanted to. His gaze fell on Misery and she stared back at him for several seconds before also turning away. Balrog was nowhere to be seen. No one was coming to his rescue.

Quote jumped slightly as he felt the cool, sharp metal press against his bare chest, and squeezed his eyes shut, waiting for the moment when it would slice into his skin.

For the first couple of seconds, he almost didn't feel the blade as it cut into him. He gritted his teeth as the pain suddenly struck and willed himself not to cry out. He didn't want to give the Doctor the satisfaction of hearing him scream. As it was, he couldn't stop the tears from welling in his eyes.

They did not go unnoticed by Date, and his smile grew as he drew the scalpel down, cutting a neat incision along the middle of Quote's chest. Blood bubbled up from the thin, deep wound as Quote continued to clench his teeth. The pain was intense and tears ran freely down his face now, but still he did not scream.

The Doctor continued to make several more cuts before pulling back the loosened flesh, revealing Quote's ribcage. The wounds bled freely, and the smell coupled with blood loss made Quote feel nauseated. The pain threatened to overwhelm him as he finally gave in, though his wails were weak. He could feel his heart beating feebly as it attempted to pump less and less blood through his body and knew that he was dying.

Date, unperturbed by all the blood, continued to poke around inside the young man's chest, causing Quote to cry out and thrash involuntarily. He found this terribly amusing and did it again and again until Quote's eyes rolled up into the back of his head and he slipped into unconsciousness.

Quote's breathing was shallow and his pulse terribly weak; he'd lost far too much blood far too rapidly. The Doctor however was unaffected by his plight. He straightened up, wiping the blood from his hands. Having seen what he wanted, he turned to Misery.

"Heal him and lock him back up. I'll think of something to do with him later. For now, I must perfect my latest creation."

"Yes, my Lord." Misery approached the table, sickened by the sight and smell of so much blood. Date left the room as she cast a powerful healing spell over the dying young man. His wounds closed up swiftly, leaving no physical evidence that they had ever been there, as the blood he had lost was quickly regenerated. Though he remained unconscious, the spell also counteracted the effects of the shock he had fallen into. When he came to, he might feel a remnant of pain, but he would otherwise be all right.

At least, physically, anyway.

Misery cleaned the remaining blood from Quote's chest before encasing him in another bubble and warping him back to his cage.

X X X

All was still and silent, save for the chirping and rustle of feathers as birds shifted their positions on Balrog's head. Neither Misery or the Doctor knew what the big box did when neither of them were using him for some devious plot, and he wasn't about to tell them. If they knew, they would put an end to it.

The balcony was Balrog's favourite place on the island, the only place where he could really escape from the harsh treatment he tended to receive from Misery. The large box was a simple creature, and he enjoyed simple pursuits, like he was doing now.

He continued to hold perfectly still, allowing birds to perch on his head and flippers. Balrog liked birds; their streamlined grace as they flew and their pretty songs. He wished he could be more like them, to have their freedom. He could fly, but not with as much grace, and since he had been tethered to the crown, he had been unable to go far. As far as singing went, he couldn't to save his life.

No one should have been up there with him, so he was startled when his flock suddenly lifted into the air in agitation and soared off into the distance. Balrog turned to look behind him to find a surprising sight. A baby Sky Dragon had somehow snuck up on him.

He wasn't afraid of it; even if it did intend him harm, a baby would have been no match for Balrog's defences. The dragon seemed more curious than anything however, and the big box smiled at it.

"Are you lost?" he asked. He knew Sky Dragons made their homes in a series of caves located below the Egg Chamber that could only be accessed by creatures that could fly. To see one so young on the balcony, and alone, was strange. To see a baby at all now was odd, though. Balrog knew what the Doctor had done to the latest batch.

The dragon cocked its head as though it didn't understand the question. A questioning growl rumbled deep in its throat. As far as it knew, it was still waiting for Quote to return.

"Ah, you don't know how to talk yet," said Balrog, still smiling. "Maybe I can teach you!"

The dragon perked up and lumbered to the big box happily. Nero wasn't a shy dragon, and had no reason to distrust him. Plus, Nero really wanted to learn to talk. The dragon was frustrated by no one being able to understand it.

"Now," and here Balrog touched a flipper to the side of his head, and looked sheepish. "Where do we begin?"

X X X

"My lord, was that really necessary?"

Misery really couldn't understand why she felt like questioning the Doctor's actions. Why should she care what he did to Quote? And yet, she did…

The Doctor had returned once more to the item he had been preparing now for days, and didn't look away as he replied. "Was what necessary?"

"What you did to that boy. I could have told you that he was fully human, my lord."

"You could have, but where would the fun have been in that?"

Misery didn't reply, biting back the words she wanted to say, but knew she shouldn't. Why did she care? It made no sense, she barely knew the boy, and not only had most of that time they had spent fighting each other, he had been a robot, too.

She didn't have time to really dwell on her feelings when the Doctor turned to her, smiling cruelly. In his hands he held a sparkling red crystal. It pulsed with its own inner light, something about it bothered the witch, and not much could get to her anymore in many long years.

"Behold, the fruits of my research, the Red Crystal," said Date, still holding it aloft. "I have concentrated the powers of the red flowers into this crystal, but it will work on more than just mimigas. Humans, for one."

Misery said nothing for several moments, unsure of the Doctor's intentions. What purpose did he have to frenzy humans as well as mimigas? Were the mimigas not powerful enough for him? She didn't want to anger her master, but she had to know.

"Are frenzied humans that much stronger than the mimigas?"

The Doctor shrugged. "How would I know? But wouldn't it be so much easier to control the world's population with this?"

Date let his hand fall, and the crystal remained in the air, orbiting his the man. As Misery watched it, an idea came unbidden to her mind. She didn't want to suggest it, but the Doctor had already noticed.

"Is there something you would like to say?"

The witch couldn't keep it from him now. "I thought perhaps we could test how strong a frenzied human is compared to a mimiga. Unless of course, you had other plans for the boy?"

The Doctor shook his head. "That is a good idea. Fetch the boy and a mimiga, and we shall find out which is stronger."

X X X

"Huzzah! Huzzah! Huzzah!"

The dragon bounced about, quite pleased with its new word. Though it was a young dragon, its voice was decidedly feminine. Nero was a girl.

Balrog laughed and jumped about with her, shouting huzzah right along. The two carried on for several moments before Nero tired herself out and flopped to the ground.

The dragon was a quick study, and already knew enough words to be able to speak simple sentences. It hadn't occurred to Balrog to ask her why she was here, though. If he had, he may have learned of Kazuma's fate, and also could have told the dragon to quit waiting for Quote. The boxy creature really didn't think the robot turned human had much chance of escape given the current state of things.

"Wanna play!" cheered Nero after a few moments of rest. She picked herself up from the ground and swatted Balrog playfully with her tail before running away, encouraging the box to chase her.

"Hey!" Balrog protested, and the chase was on.

X X X

The Doctor stood off to a corner as Misery warped the combatants into the room, the Red Crystal still orbiting his body. He wore a malicious grin as he watched the two. The mimiga Misery had chosen was huddling in a corner, as far from the Doctor as he could get.

With the next raising of her staff, Quote was brought into the room and dumped unceremoniously onto the floor. He groaned, picking himself up from the ground, blinking tiredly. He still hadn't fully recovered from what Date had done to him earlier, even with the aid of Misery's spell.

The witch moved off to stand with Date as the mimiga, recognizing Quote despite the fact that he had still been a robot last time he had seen him, ran to the boy's side.

"Hey, are you okay?" he asked, recognizing that Quote wasn't at his best even though he looked fine physically. The mimiga's animal instincts hadn't been completely dulled by his previously uneventful life.

The boy didn't reply right away. He had only just come to moments before Misery's spell had pulled him away from his cell to dump him here. His head ached terribly, so he replied by simply shaking it slowly. The slightest sound set off jackhammers in his brain.

The two didn't get much of a chance to converse, the Doctor setting the Red Crystal upon them. "What's that?" was all Jack had time to ask before it began to circle him.

Quote looked up in time to see Jack begin to change. He had seen the rage overtake mimigas several times before, but it never ceased to frighten him. Ignoring the pain in his head and body, he picked himself up and scrambled away from the newly born monster, adrenaline kicking in to clear his head a little.

He didn't get far before the crystal caught up to him, and began to circle him as it had Jack. Quote had seen what it did to the mimiga, but he didn't know what it would do to him. He didn't really know what the crystal was, he just knew that anything the Doctor created that could do that to a mimiga was bad news. Quote couldn't get away, though. It was impossible to outrun the crystal, to escape its power. The change overtook him, he had no chance to fight it off in his current state even if there had been one.

Misery and the Doctor watched silently as the two monsters turned on each other, all rational thought gone from their minds, and began to savage each other. The witch found it difficult to watch the battle, the two frenzied creatures tearing into each other with the distinct urge to kill, splattering blood everywhere. Regardless of what everyone may think of her, she wasn't much for violence.

It was pretty clear right from the beginning that Quote held the upper hand. It was difficult to say if perhaps, despite his frenzied state, he was still subconsciously able to access his fighting prowess, but his overall size was enough. The size of the frenzied creature seemed to rely on the size of the creature being frenzied, and Quote was at least a foot taller than the average mimiga. Size, strength and sheer fighting ability were on his side.

With a powerful two-fisted smash, the beast that had been Quote drove his mimiga rival to the floor before he snapped his jaws around Jack's throat. He ignored the blood that filled his mouth as his fangs, newly acquired from the frenzying, sliced through skin and severed major arteries.

Jack, severely if not fatally wounded, still fought back, trying to dislodge the larger monster by bringing up his hind legs and gouging deep wounds across Quote's chest with his claws. Quote reacted by drawing back, but his jaws remained shut, tearing out a good chunk of Jack's throat in the process.

Jack seemed a little started, and gave a small gurgling cough as blood splattered to the floor from the wound. He toppled over, dead, a moment later reverting back to his normal form.

Quote, angered by the injuries inflicted upon him and without an opponent, now turned his gaze upon Misery and the Doctor. Spitting out his mouthful of Jack's throat, he growled his anger and began to charge.

"Can't be having with that, now can we?" said the Doctor. He raised his hand and Quote was slammed backwards into a wall by an invisible force. The raging monster remained pinned until, after a moment or two, he calmed down and began to shrink back to his normal form, the power of the red crystal wearing off.

The Doctor released his hold and Quote slumped to the floor, bleeding badly, breathing hard and barely conscious. He was only dimly aware of Jack's still form lying not far from him in a growing pool of his own blood. He knew he had killed the mimiga, he could still taste the blood in his mouth. It made him gag, and it was all he could do to keep from vomiting.

Quote couldn't believe what had just happene3d. What had the Doctor done to be able to turn humans into raging animals as easily as the mimigas? What had once seemed an incredibly difficult mission now seemed nigh on impossible. With this new power, how could Date possibly be stopped?

He was barely aware of the Doctor ordering Misery to take care of him yet again as he raised a trembling, bloodstained hand before his eyes, staring at it as though wondering what it was. How many lives had been snuffed out by his hands? How many more were destined to fall?

The Doctor had already left, planning how he could use this to destroy Curly and her resistance once and for all, before Misery approached Quote. The boy didn't even react as she touched a hand to his shoulder, another healing spell washing over him. It wasn't as effective as the previous one, Misery only being able to use the spell a limited number of times in a day before needing to rest. It was enough to ensure he wouldn't bleed to death, however.

"I…I killed him…didn't I?" Quote's voice was small and cracked, and Misery could hear the very slight hint of madness around the edges. She couldn't explain why it caused her to react as she did, her chest constricting in pain. She ignored it.

"Come along." Still holding his shoulder, she cast her teleport spell, almost instantly moving herself and Quote back to his cell. She surprised herself by knowing and caring that he was tired by the way he could barely keep his eyes open.

"Misery?" The question was so soft, she almost didn't hear him. "How did you get cursed to the crown?"

The witch turned away, and he could hear bitterness in her voice as she replied. "I'm the one who had it made."

"Why?"

Misery wondered if the lack of an accusatory tone in his voice was because he was truly curious, or if he was just too tired to add one. No one had ever asked her reasons before, however. Most just assumed she had been trying to usurp power. There would be no harm in telling Quote the truth.

The witch sat down next to him and began talking. "Regardless of what people seem to think, long ago, I wasn't so bitter and evil. I actually gave a damn about what happened to this island, my home and my family. When my uncle went crazy, his power ravaged the kingdom an almost destroyed us all. No one could stop him

"I thought that perhaps I could by convincing him to create an item that would allow the bearer to control his power. When he agreed, I thought I had succeeded, but I was wrong. Instead, he created that crown and cursed me to it before my mother stepped in and banished him to the bowels of the island.

"So, that's what happened. Are you happy now?"

Quote didn't reply for a long time, and Misery almost thought he had fallen asleep when he opened his eyes again. Slowly, he moved over until he was lying beside the witch. Her eyes widened in surprise as he lifted his head and placed it in her lap, a small sad smile crossing his face.

"I don't need your pity," snarled Misery, but she didn't attempt to move him. In fact, she reached over to pick up the threadbare cloth that masqueraded as a blanket. Quote's smile became content as she pulled it around his shoulders and started to run her hand through his hair.

She didn't really know why she was even still there. This boy had caused her no end of trouble, she hated him, and yet here she was, being almost nurturing to him. She had to admit there was something she wanted from him, but this time she didn't want to just take it. She also wasn't about to play nice just to get it, either.

When Misery came to that realisation, she couldn't believe it. She hadn't cared for another in so many years, she hadn't thought herself capable anymore. She wasn't sure she should be upset or happy about the fact that, had she not turned Quote human in the first place, this probably never would have happened.

It startled her when Quote sat up. She thought he had finally fallen asleep. He fixed her with a look she could only describe as semiconscious, and held it for so long Misery began to wonder if he were just moving in his sleep.

She was not prepared for what he did next. Quote moved forward faster than she had expected, and before she had a chance to react, he had pressed his lips hard against hers. Eyes wide, Misery's first instinct was to push him away, but she ignored that and let the boy do what he wished.

He backed off after a moment and stared at the floor. He couldn't explain why he had done that, all he knew was that he had wanted to. "Misery…"

"Yes?"

"What…what did you…what was that you did to me earlier?"

The witch couldn't help smirking. "Why, did you want to do it again?"

He nodded. "I don't understand why, though…"

"Aren't you a bad boy? Well, perhaps I should explain…"

X X X

Dragons had exceptional hearing, and Nero could still take notice of Balrog counting even from the other side of the balcony. Having bored of tag quickly, the large box had suggested a game of hide and seek. Nero had never heard of the game before, but once she had it explained to her, she quickly agreed to play.

It was the young dragon's turn to hide this round, and it seemed as though she had found the perfect spot. A small, temporary shelter stood in the middle of the path to the citadel, and because it was so obvious, she guessed Balrog would never think to check it.

Nero hadn't considered her size, or the size of the doorway however, as she tried to wriggle her way in. The entrance was much too small for her to fit through, and though the building was only temporary, it was still fairly solidly built. The baby dragon was soon stuck.

Nero didn't notice Balrog's cry of, "Ready or not, here I come!" over her own distressed whining as she tried to free herself from the entranceway. Her cries continued to grow louder the more stuck she became, and they quickly drew her game playing friend to her.

"Hey, hey, calm down!" Balrog touched a flipper to Nero's side in an attempt to calm the distraught dragon. "Stop thrashing around and I'll help you out of there."

It was easier said than done. Nero had wedged herself into the door pretty good, and Balrog's flippers weren't so useful in such situations. After several moments of pushing, pulling and squirming, however, Nero was free. Though in the process, she had managed to knock in a bit of the flooring, revealing a tunnel to another, long sealed section of the island. She didn't really understand why it upset her friend.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

Balrog didn't say anything right away, staring down into the hole as though he expected some terrible demon to jump out and eat his face. "Hell is open again. I don't think that's good… I have to tell Misery…"

Nero's face fell. "You go away?"

"for a little while." And here Balrog flashed the baby dragon a large smile. "But don't worry, I'll come see you again, okay?"

"Okay!"

With that, Balrog turned and trundled off back into the interior of the island, leaving the dragon by herself again, intent on telling Misery about Hell's reopening.


	9. Eyes Of Flame

Author's Note/Disclaimer: I don't own Cave Story, it belongs to Pixel and some other companies now, too, it seems. Not making a dime off this.

…wow. It's been a long freaking time since I last touched this story, hasn't it? Since what, 2006? That's five freakin' years. Never thought I'd ever actually get back to it, but here I am. I seem to have gotten my groove back, so to speak, so here's hoping I can finish this thing up now. Although, I haven't actually re-read any of the older bits, so if I make any continuity errors, it's completely due to that. My bad. Anywho, let's do this!

Chapter 8: Eyes of Flame 

"Mom's really upset about this, you know."

"I understand, but what would you like me to do about it?"

"Something, I don't know! It's just… so FRUSTRATING to sit here and do nothing!"

Professor Booster sighed, and placed a hand on Sue's shoulder. "Your mother is angry because she is worried about Quote. Curly is right, however. It would be foolhardy to risk everything we have accomplished here for the sake of one."

"So you're saying we should just do nothing?"

"Well, no, but…"

Sue threw up her paws in aggravation. "Never mind, just forget it."

"Sue…"

The girl was having none of it, stalking angrily from the room. She couldn't stand to do nothing, but she could see the sense in what the adults were saying. Still, there must be something that could be done… anything.

So angry and lost in thought was Sue that she failed to notice the figure standing before her, and bumped heavily into it. The two went down in a tangle of limbs.

"Hey, what the?"

Sue recognized the voice, and looked up to face Curly. The female robot had been quietly going over battle tactics when the mimiga girl collided with her.

"Sorry," said Sue as the two began to disentangle and stand back up. The tone of the girl's voice suggested she meant otherwise, however, and Curly was quick to pick up on it.

"What's the matter?"

Sue made a sour face. "You're the matter."

Curly was taken aback by the anger in the young girl's voice. It wasn't too difficult for her to figure out the cause, however. "Is this about Quote?"

"No, it's about the lack of light bulbs. Of course it's about Quote! Why can't we do anything to save him?"

"Sue…" Curly trailed off, hoping that perhaps the girl would catch the tone in her voice and drop the subject – but no such luck.

"Don't you 'Sue' me! You're not my mother! You don't even know if he's been captured! At least send someone out to look for him!"

Curly just stood there for a moment, watching the fuming mimiga child. She wondered if Sue had noticed the way her fur stood on end when she was upset.

Thinking about what she had said, she realized what Sue believed was true. Curly had only assumed Quote had been captured, but it was possible that he had only gotten separated and lost on the way back. He was no longer a robot, so he had no more access to his orientation programs. If that were the case, then she owed it to him to find him and bring him home.

Curly sighed. "Okay. I'll send out a scout to look for him. If he's out there and lost, we'll bring him back. If he has been captured, however, there's little that can be done for him. Does that sound reasonable?"

Sue crossed her arms, glaring at the robot girl, though her eyes sparkled with gratitude. "It'll do."

Curly nodded and went to find a Gaudi with the skills to take on this new mission.

X X X

The scout was only gone for a couple of hours, the job going quicker than Curly had anticipated. The report was brief and to the point. Quote appeared to be alone in the Egg Chamber's hatching room. The scout had done as told, and only checked the situation and reported back, despite the fact that it appeared that Quote was safe. Curly didn't wish to take any risks. It didn't take long for the robot girl to pull together a task force to cover her on her way to retrieve him, in case it turned out to be a trap.

After informing everyone else of what was going on and where they were going, Curly took her team into the labyrinth and the teleporter that lead to the Egg Chamber. They didn't meet much in the way of obstructions on the rather short trip. Only Curly's extreme caution slowed them down in any real way.

Reaching the door to the hatching room, Curly motioned for the Gaudi to hang back as she went in to investigate. Opening the door, she stepped inside and looked around. Spotting a figure in the gloom, she paused to make sure it was Quote, and it was. Curly approached with caution. It all seemed too easy, but she couldn't just leave him.

Quote was a mess. He huddled in the shadows, holding his arms crossed in front of himself as he rocked unsteadily. He seemed to be muttering something, but Curly couldn't make it out.

"Quote?" she asked, reaching his side and placing a hand on his shoulder.

He jumped, startled, and started shaking his head violently. "Go away!"

"Come on, I'm getting you out of here."

"No! No, no, no!" He pushed her away, and she finally noticed the blood staining his hands. She grabbed them and stared in shock.

Her voice was almost a whisper when she asked, "What have they been doing to you?"

He shook his head and looked up at her, his eyes pleading. His hair was unkempt, his tear-streaked face grimy and splattered with blood. "You have to go. Now. Or I might… I could…" Quote's voice faltered and failed as he dissolved into tears once more. He clutched at his head and started to rock again, sobbing.

Curly didn't know what to do. She knew something was wrong, but she didn't have the time to find out what it was. She had to get him back to the base, now.

"Come on, we have to go," she insisted, took him by the hands and pulled him to his feet. He tried to fight her off, but didn't have the strength for it. Giving in, he allowed her to drape his arm over her shoulders and lead him away.

"You shouldn't be doing this," he protested softly.

"Shut up. I don't care."

Quote shook his head but continued to walk with her. He cast his gaze around the cave. The Doctor had left him there on purpose; he knew the man had something evil planned. Curly should leave, as quickly as possible and without him, but he also knew she was too stubborn for him to argue with once she had made up her mind.

The slightest glint of red was the only warning he had before everything went to hell.

Before Quote could even warn Curly, the red crystal was upon him. He had only the time to push her away before the change struck. He could feel his senses cloud as raw rage and power surged through his body. He tried to fight it, but it was futile.

Curly stared in horror, watching from where she had fallen as Quote let out a bestial roar. His body grew; muscles bulged as his form shifted into that of a monster. His hair went wild and his eyes, normally a tranquil shade of blue, now blazed like the very fires of hell. The red crystal orbited his frenzied figure as he cast his furious gaze about, looking for something to fight, something to kill.

Curly picked herself up from the floor, drawing Quote's attention. He swung around to face her, an animalistic growl building in his throat.

"Quote… How… What?" she stuttered in disbelief.

He responded by lunging for her. He moved quicker than she expected for his size, but she still managed to dodge away from his charge. She drew her Nemesis as she leapt athletically to the side, though she was unwilling to use it.

"Quote! What do you think you're doing?" she demanded, aiming her weapon at him, hoping what she said would get through to him. "What the hell is going on?"

The beast that had been Quote rumbled and struck again. Curly dodged easily now that she had a better idea of his speed. She didn't want to fight him, but she couldn't just stand there as he tried to kill her.

"I don't want to hurt you, Quote!"

The monster still showed no sign of recognition, and lunged again. Despite not wanting to fight, Curly knew she had no choice. She called to her Gaudi force waiting outside, and prepared herself to kill. The big beetles came running, and the battle was joined.

The thing that had been Quote was making short work of her team, and she knew it was because she was hanging back, but she still couldn't bring herself to fight him. She couldn't find the drive he had always seemed to have, that ability to fight and kill because it was necessary.

In moments, she was all that was left besides the snarling beast, which turned and lunged for her. Distracted by her thoughts, she was buffeted hard by his strike, knocked into the stone wall. Something cracked and she collapsed with a cry, barely able to stand.

Scrambling to pick herself up, she yelped as her leg gave out, badly damaged. She had to move, though, or she was finished. Quote was coming for her, and she couldn't rely on luck to save her. She pushed out of his way just as he thundered up to her, and he slammed into the wall, stunning himself. She lost her balance and fell over again.

Luck truly was on her side as Quote began to regress back into his normal shape, and the red crystal ceased its orbit and disappeared into the gloom. Though the wounds he had received became more pronounced in his weaker human state, he hadn't really suffered much injury. Curly dragged herself to his side, barely able to stand on her broken leg. "Quote?"

His eyes slowly blinked open and he focused on her. He seemed frightened. "See? I'm a… liability now. Leave me."

"…what was that?"

Quote's eyes darted back and forth nervously. "The Doctor has refined the power of the red flowers and created something he calls the Red Crystal. I know it works on humans and mimiga, but I don't know if that's the full extent of its power. I think he can use it to seek me out, no matter where I am."

Curly stored the information away, terrified by its meaning, and understanding now what he meant about being a danger. "Quote… I don't want to leave you here, and especially not with the Doctor, but… you're right. It would be far too dangerous to take you back now. I … I'm sorry."

"Don't be."

For a moment, the two just stared at each other before Curly turned away first, hobbling off on her still-broken leg. Quote watched her go until he couldn't see her any longer, the murk swallowing her. Once she was gone, he pulled his legs into his chest, wrapped his arms around them and began to rock as he had been when Curly had first found him.

X X X

It took Curly much longer to return to base with her broken limb, though it didn't bother her much. She wasn't looking forward to explaining to her troops about what had happened. It wasn't good news, and as she had finally resolved on the time to fight, bringing down morale beforehand was a bad idea. They would have to know so they could be prepared to counter it just the same.

It was Momorin who noticed her first. She just happened to be walking past the cave entrance at the same time Curly stumbled in, and ran to her side to help prop her up. Curly groaned as she let the pressure off her damaged limb, and the two began to talk as Momorin helped the robot girl to where Hasumi and Gero were.

"Are you okay? Sue said you went to look for Quote. What happened?"

"…I found him."

"And? Where is he?"

"He's still with the Doctor."

"What? Why didn't you bring him home?"

At that, Curly fixed the woman with a dark glare. "Who do you think did this to me? Look, I don't really feel like repeating myself, so you'll just have to wait until I make my announcement to get the full story."

Momorin's expression was clearly distasteful, but she didn't say anything. Reaching their destination, she handed the damaged robot over to the doctor and his nurse and left in a hurry. It was obvious to Gero and Hasumi that Curly was in a poor mood and didn't feel like making small talk, so they treated her in silence. It didn't take long for them to finish, and although her leg was still broken, it was now beginning to heal. With the help of the treatment, she estimated it would be completely repaired by the next morning. Perfect.

Limping back to the main cave, she called for everyone's attention, and waited grimly until she got it.

"Are you ready to fight?" she asked, barely raising her voice. The question still carried throughout, the silence almost complete save the sound of her voice. There was no cheering, but the looks she saw scattered throughout the force said she had their full support.

"Then prepare yourselves. This battle has lasted long enough, and now the Doctor has a new weapon, one we can no longer ignore while sitting by and planning. The time to strike has come, but you all need to be wary of the Red Crystal. Somehow, the Doctor found a way to refine the powers of the Red Flowers, and this Crystal is the result. It has the power to frenzy not only mimiga, but humans as well, and even that may not be the limit to its power. This I know as fact, as it was Quote himself who did this to me, and killed the team I brought.

"Be prepared. Carry as much of the cure as you can, and try to save as many of the frenzied fighters as possible. Focus your attacks on Misery, Balrog and the Doctor as much as you can. The sooner we can stop them, the sooner the battle will be over.

"You have the rest of the day to prepare and tonight to rest. We head up to the Doctor's Throne tomorrow."

The silence that filled the cavern now was absolute. She waited several moments for any reply, but none came. She nodded. "Get to it."

As the forces moved off to prepare, Curly cast about for Jenka. Spotting the old witch, she limped over to her and drew her aside so they could talk in private.

"Yes, dear?" asked the old woman. Her tone was light, hinting at an act of innocence.

"A frontal assault on the Doctor isn't going to be worth much, is it?"

Curly's question was frank and to the point, and a small smile played at the corners of Jenka's mouth. "You are a very bright robot. It's true, to destroy the Demon Crown, you have to destroy its source. Walk with me, and I'll tell you a story."

Together, the two slowly strolled through the throng of busy figures, headed to where the old witch currently made her residence.

"Once, long ago, I had a brother. His name was Ballos. He was a good man, using his magic to help and guide people, and in turn was well liked by the people of the kingdom. However, our king was petty and jealous, and he locked up Ballos simply for the reason that the people liked him more than their own king.

"The king tortured my brother to the point where his magic went wild, and it consumed the kingdom. Before I could do anything, he had destroyed everything he had cared about, his family and friends… Misery and I escaped the carnage, along with a small handful of others, but the damage was done.

"I was the only one with the power to confront Ballos, but he was my brother, and at that time, my heart was weak. I could not bring myself to kill him. I'm sure, even now, I would be unable to do it. So I made a mistake.

"I sealed Ballos away on this floating island. I had no idea of the Mimiga living here at the time, or how my selfish act would affect their lives, or in fact, my own. The Red Flowers began to bloom across the island, a result of Ballos' mad power infecting the very core of it. We all know how that's turned out.

"My daughter, Misery, thought she could help her uncle. Though I advised her against it, she didn't listen to me, and went to Ballos and had him create the Demon Crown. I suppose she thought that with a focus for his power, she could use it to get his magic under control. Instead, the crown cursed her and Balrog and tied them to it, making them slaves to those who would wear it for many years to come.

"Those who wear the crown may be defeated, and the crown itself destroyed, but it will only rise again as long as Ballos continues to live. Defeat him, and it should bring an end to this cycle of tragedy."

Curly nodded slowly, mulling over the story she had just heard. Jenka began to dig through her belongings as she continued.

"You can find the entrance to Hell where Ballos resides on the balcony, topside of the island. The surface dwellers have built a temporary shelter over it. You may have to knock in the floor to get through. Your army can fight without you, distracting the Doctor and his minions while you go after the source of all this sorrow."

Finding what she had been searching for, Jenka straightened up and handed Curly a small glowing pot. "Take this life pot with you. If you find yourself running low on power, or damaged, use it. It may save your life."

"Thank you. I will do what I can tomorrow. With luck, that'll be enough."

"I believe you can do it, now. You've a power and resolution about you that you lacked when we first met. I know I can trust you to fight for all you're worth. You may just be the one who can finally bring peace to this island."

Curly nodded. "I will do my level best."

With that, she returned to her own sleeping quarters and settled down to rest, allowing her leg to heal. She needed to be at 100% tomorrow, or else everything she had accomplished over the past few days would all have been for nothing.


End file.
